Betrayal, Forgiveness, Redemption
by Face of Poe
Summary: <html><head></head>On a slippery path towards the dark side, Kyp clings to what he once had with Jaina, leading to him shattering her trust- possibly irrevocably. Dark-Kyp, Jaina/Jag -Sequel to 'An Informal Apprenticeship', part 2 of 6 part series. NJO AU</html>
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is the sequel to _An Informal Apprenticeship_, part 2 of a 3 part series. This can be easily read on its own, but part one is good for some background. :-)

**Setting**: NJO after the 2nd battle of Sernpidal- this start within a couple of months of Jaina storming out on Kyp after the worldship incident.

**Rating**: T for- **warning**- mention (but no depiction) of rape

**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to LucasFilms and such… sadly.

**Betrayal, Forgiveness, Redemption**

**Part I**

They had loved one another once.

At least, that's what they told each other.

What was love to a seventeen-year-old whose prior romantic life consisted of one, relatively chaste kiss with a childhood friend? When the man in question was nearly double her age, had known her since she was a small child?

He could use those things, of course; her inexperience made him the undeniable master. His age gave him authority, and accorded him respect, along with the attraction that he saw budding- and encouraged fervently.

They had loved one another- but she was unmistakably his.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

Her comlink beeped.

"Jaina? Kyp's gone."

Blink. Three slow beats. "And?"

An exasperated sigh. "_And_ we're looking for him; do you know where he is?"

"Aunt Mara, we haven't spoken since…" _Since I slapped him_. "Why should I have any idea?"

Pause. "Wedge indicated that there might have been a more… personal… relationship between you."

"Of course; I _was_ his apprentice for a few months."

"More personal than that."

_Oh_.

"I don't know where he's gone."

Sigh. "Alright. It was worth a shot. Oh, and you might want to pass over any calls from your father for a while."

"Why?"

"Wedge wasn't very, er… discreet… in is intimations."

_Thanks, General Antilles_.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_Two Months Later_

"We found him," Corran Horn rushed into the room where a number of masters were gathered. "Kyp was on Corellia within the last few hours."

"Corellia?" Mara frowned. "What could he have wanted there?"

Corran's expression was grim. "Peace Brigade."

Luke sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "How many?"

"Sixteen. Found dead in a ship that was preparing to take off outside Coronet. Obvious lightsaber attack." A lengthy silence. "Master Skywalker?"

The silence continued for a full minute.

"Do we have any idea where he'll strike next?"

"We're still waiting on Corellian security to tell us anything. So… probably not." Corran was quiet for a moment. "Master Skywalker, I'd like to start pursuing him. It's time to get proactive about this."

Mara snorted. "Now you sound like Kyp. Are you sure this isn't just the side of you who has despised Kyp Durron for years talking?"

Corran spared her a sharp glance. "Durron thinks he's acting in the Jedi's interests; taking out Peace Brigaders who would be more than happy to turn any of us over for a hefty reward… but how long until he slips too far?"

"What would be too far, Corran?" Luke still did not look at him.

"Genocide against an alien race?"

Everyone in the room turned to eye the newcomer. Her eyes were sunken, jumpsuit baggier over her narrow frame than usual- the entire situation was taking its toll on Kyp's former apprentice and, by many unconfirmed accounts, lover.

"You're back." Mara's tone was even; an acknowledgement, more than a question.

There was no question of letting in her in the meeting of the masters, despite Jaina's youth; this topic concerned her- more than they yet knew, she thought.

"Commander Darklighter sent me back." That earned a ripple of surprise. "He thinks I'm pushing myself too hard." That was only a half-truth. The fact was, her pre-flight physical had been subpar; underweight, lack of adequate sleep… and Darklighter didn't want someone stepping into the exhaustive role who was already battle-fatigued.

"Well we're always happy to have your input, Jaina," Luke murmured quietly, ever the morale-booster. "Kyp just hit a ship-full of Peace Brigade on Corellia." Her face remained impassive, and he wondered if she hadn't somehow heard the news ahead of them. "We're trying to decide if it's the right time to act and if so… how to do it."

She frowned. "Can we afford to spare anyone? We have Vong accumulating in the mid-Rim, more rumors of these voxyn, and our own allies wondering if it wouldn't be best to turn over the Jedi."

"All the more reason to keep the Jedi united; if people see Jedi running around, killing people in cold-blood… even if they _are_ Peace Brigade… they'll start to agree that being rid of us is best after all." Kenth Hamner's voice was cool and quiet.

"Corran, Kenth," Luke spoke softly, "what happens when the Jedi start chasing Kyp? He's clearly unbalanced already, to some degree," his eyes flickered to Jaina so fast that she thought it may have been imagined. "Will the Jedi become his enemies? Will he run, or stay and fight to the death? He knows where the younglings are… do we move them from the Maw?"

Corran's dismay was palpable through the Force; he had two children hiding at Shelter.

"He won't attack younglings," Jaina said quietly, and all eyes swiveled back to her. "He might resist an attempt to capture him, but he won't seek a confrontation with the Jedi. That's not what he's after."

"How can you be so sure?" Hamner sounded skeptical at best, condescending at worst.

She closed her eyes, trying to block out the pressure against her mind, the pressure that had started as a low buzz the night Mara told her that Kyp had left, and had gradually intensified until she could no longer sleep, concentration was difficult… "I just am."

"Reassuring as that is, I'd prefer not to trust my children's lives to your residual confidence in your old _flame_."

"Corran!" Mara bit. "That was uncalled for."

"No," Jaina held Corran's gaze steadily, "I think Master Horn is right; and I think, if it is the Council's will that Kyp be brought in, that I should be the one to do it."

Another faint ripple of surprise. "Jaina?" Mara asked carefully. "I thought you don't know where he is?"

"I don't," she admitted. "But it doesn't matter. He'll come to me."

The ensuing pause was tense and a bit uncomfortable, but Jaina did not back down. The room seemed to be waiting for Master Skywalker to respond to the claim. Finally, he steepled his fingertips and observed her carefully over them.

"I don't think it's a good idea," he said slowly. "I am concerned that your prior relationship with Kyp may impair your judgment. He's manipulated you once already."

Jaina wanted to be annoyed at his words, but suspected Luke was purposely ambiguous. Relationship could mean master and apprentice; but it could also mean intimate. Both would be apt, though the council could not be entirely sure of the latter; Jaina wasn't surrendering the information.

"Also," Luke interrupted her thoughts, "you will want to speak with Anakin. He's working up a scheme to get at the base of the Yuuzhan Vong's voxyn operations. He'll need your help."

Recognizing the dismissal, she left the chamber with a curt nod towards her aunt and uncle.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_Three Months Later_

"_Jaina…"_

She sat up with a gasp, a faint tingling in her lips.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

The pressure was back, after she'd finally managed to block her mind off from it prior to the mission to Myrkr. For three nights, she sat awake, unable to relax with the knowledge that he was toying with her.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

"Jaina."

Her eyes opened reflexively; indeed, she hadn't been asleep. But she hadn't expected him to actually be there, standing right next to her bed. She started and sat up, self-conscious of her less-than-modest undergarments, but not showing it.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." It was true; she missed the old Kyp, but not the one who had betrayed her trust so horribly.

"Then come with me. Tonight." Now _that_, she had not been expecting.

She smiled sadly. "You know I can't do that."

"Of course you can. We can find somewhere to be together, away from war, from death…"

"And when my parents, or my aunt and uncle come looking for me, will you deal with them like you did Corran Horn?"

His eyes flashed once. "I did not want to harm Horn. He was… persistent."

"Yeah, well he spent twelve days in bacta recovering."

He abruptly changed the topic. "I was terribly grieved to hear about your brothers."

"And yet you ask me to abandon everything, abandon my _parents_ to run away with you?"

For a long time, the two sat staring at each other. "No," he finally sighed. "That would be unfair, wouldn't it?"

"Why are you here?"

He sat on the bed next to her and reached out, cupping her face with a hand and looking intently into her eyes. "I wanted- _needed _- to see you. To know if you'd choose me or the Council."

"What?" She didn't like the sound of that.

"Well," he said softly, stroking her cheek, "they've had two weeks to regroup since the Horn incident; surely it's about time for Master Skywalker to send someone else… Sebatyne and Hamner, perhaps?… to try to succeed where Corran failed."

She frowned. "They haven't sent anyone else; I think they're worried about getting any more Jedi killed than necessary. They're afraid of you, Kyp," she said sadly.

He just smiled at her and ran his fingers through her hair, making her shiver at his light touch. She did not resist as he drew her into his arms and placed a soft kiss at the base of her neck. "I love you, Goddess- _my_ goddess," he whispered. Her mind was growing hazy, but she was a little surprised that he already knew the nickname that was used to begin building the psychological campaign. She tried to say something, anything, but she was just so… _tired_. As she struggled to keep her eyes open as the pressure intensified, she heard him whisper, "Someday soon, this war will be over and you'll be mine again, Jaina. I promise."

The world faded to black.

**End Part I**

**A/N:** This is an 11-part story. Expect a chapter or two a day. And by all means, tell me how you're liking it. ;-)

*~Lexi~*


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Totally forgot to mention earlier… this story was written around a one-shot I posted a few weeks ago called _Not Enough_. That one-shot will be part IV.

**Disclaimer**: Still not mine… as much as I wish it were. ::pout::

**Part II**

"_Jaina… Jaina… _Jaina!"

She rolled over and coughed violently, hot and uncomfortable as she only succeeded in further entangling herself in her bed sheets. A futile attempt was made to shake off her mother's hand which was pressed against her sweaty forehead, and she was vaguely aware of her father hovering concernedly over her shoulder.

"Are you alright, sweetheart? It's taken us ages to wake you, you seemed a bit… distraught while you slept."

"Yeah," she looked around frantically, trying to get her bearings. "What time is it?"

"Almost ten hundred hours," Han said, voice still tinged with worry.

She clenched her eyes shut and tried to make sense of things… she'd seen Kyp… had it been a dream?

"The door was unlocked," her mother said casually. "You should probably make sure it's sealed before you go to sleep in the future. Just to be safe."

Definitely not a dream then. Finally orienting her legs from the mass of sheets, she stood shakily, keeping the sheet carefully wrapped around her as she dug around for a clean, brown Jedi robe. "The council is meeting, right?" she asked breathlessly, hunting for a thong to tie back her hair.

"I… yes, I believe so," Leia said slowly. Jaina disappeared into the refresher for a few seconds, emerging with the freshly adorned robe in place of the sheet. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I have to talk to Uncle Luke," she muttered and made for the door. Her parents followed her to the large conference room aboard the _Mon Mothma_ that had been appropriated for the use of the Jedi Council. The whole room looked up at her in surprise, mildly alarmed at the sudden and rushed intrusion.

"Good heavens, Jaina," Mara frowned, peering at her niece, "you look like you've seen a ghost."

"I saw Kyp."

A lengthy silence filled the room and she could sense her parents' confusion through the Force. "Jaina," Luke began carefully, "Kyp is nowhere near here."

"How do you know that?"

No one answered, and as Jaina looked around the room, she noticed who was missing, and she went pale. "Where are Masters Hamner and Sebatyne?" A definite ripple of guilt spread across the room.

"We didn't think you'd notice that quickly," Corran Horn said wryly.

Her stomach felt as though it had dropped out from under her. They didn't trust her, had hidden their plans deliberately… and Kyp… he'd come to see if she'd tell him, but he already knew who they'd sent for him, and when… he'd been testing her- and she'd passed through sheer ignorance.

"You have to call them back," she urged. "They're walking into a trap."

"How could you know…?"

"I saw him! Kyp was in my room last night!"

Half the table got to their feet in alarm and surprise. "Why didn't you come to one of us?" Horn demanded. "We might have gotten him before he made it off the ship! If nothing else, you could have alerted your mother and uncle through the Force!"

She recoiled under the onslaught. "He… he did something to me…"

Han stepped angrily in front of his daughter. "Jaina was practically comatose when Leia and I found her; it took us a good quarter-hour to wake her up. He must have, I don't know- _Force-drugged _her, or something."

Luke turned quickly and concernedly to his niece. "Jaina? What happened? Jaina?"

But she was drifting again, the chamber going in and out of focus as she stood there, not quite comprehending the sounds and voices around her. "_Jaina_?" And much like the night prior, a corner of her mind remembered, she just slowly succumbed to the blackness and at some point must have fallen, because the last thing she remembered was someone catching her and picking her up- her father or uncle, maybe…

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

Like any good healer, Cilghal was well-trained in maintaining an impassive face during an exam; years spent as a _Jedi _healer had also taught her to suppress her mental and emotional reactions. This morning, however, was taxing both of those skills.

She knew she had failed when she could hear Luke murmur to his sister and brother-in-law that he was going to go check on things and, leaving the small sitting area outside the examination room, came inside to check on his niece.

"How is she?" he asked Cilghal, giving her the opening to explain- or not- her reaction from a minute prior that he must have felt through the Force.

"Her vitals are re-stabilizing," the mon calamari said in her warbley voice. "I am optimistic that she will wake up soon and perhaps she can fill in some more of the… puzzle."

Luke nodded and swept a lock of hair, damp with sweat, off his niece's forehead. "Should I go get Han and Leia?"

"No," she answered quietly, and just a little too quickly. "I want to run something by you, and it might make the parents… uncomfortable."

He grinned wryly. "I'm only a step away from parent," he reminded her.

"You are also the head of the Order and, hopefully, best equipped to speculate on Kyp's abilities and… motives."

Luke frowned at the somber seriousness of Cilghal's voice and face. "What is it, Cilghal? What has he done to her?"

The mon calamari pointed out a holochart display next to Jaina's bed. "The reason for her heavy sleep and difficulty waking- and staying awake- is simple enough. It seems that someone- Master Durron, presumably- has flooded the part of the brain which releases certain chemical signals, urging her body to sleep. Not unlike the process a Jedi goes through when entering a trance."

Luke's frown deepened. "Invasive," he acknowledged, "but it doesn't explain much. Why the physical symptoms of illness?"

"Why indeed?" Cilghal murmured. "Master Skywalker, are you aware if your niece has been… seeing anyone?"

A brief flicker of surprise at her question was soon suppressed. "I believe so," he said slowly. "I think she's been dating one of the pilots in her squadron."

She nodded- or at least moved her head back and forth in the rough equivalent for a mon cal. "I wonder if you are aware of the hormone inhibitor that some human females- often those in military service who have limited access to formal medical care outside their base ship- receive as an injection, usually every few months?"

"I am." Luke was sort of beginning to see the wisdom of leaving Han and Leia out in the hallway for the moment.

"I have found the chemicals in Jaina's bloodstream which indicate that she received an injection within the past month or so. Her body seems to be fighting the drug, however."

Luke stared at her uncomprehendingly. "_Fighting_ it? How could her body suddenly decide to rebel against something that has been there for a month, and possibly longer?" He froze, thinking and remembering. "Jaina… she wanted to bring him in, when she returned from training with _Rogue_ Squadron. You don't think… could Kyp have done something, somehow used the Force to persuade her body to fight the medication, convince her that she's sick and keep her sidelined?"

Cilghal regarded him for a minute, big eyes indecipherable. "That, Master Skywalker, would require the assumption that Master Durron was aware of the presence of a foreign chemical in her bloodstream."

He shrugged. "It's the worst-kept secret in the Order that Kyp and Jaina were involved romantically while she was his apprentice. But…" he thought about it, "he alienated her months ago… too long for the residual effects of the medication to still be present… of course, he could know about her and Jag…"

The healer held up a hand and stopped his speculation mid-stride. "It _is_ possible, but I think unlikely. If my suspicions are correct, I don't think Kyp's intention was to harm Jaina- at least, not in the way you're thinking." He stared at her questioningly. "Master Skywalker, I think… I think that, while your niece was unconscious, Master Durron attempted to use the Force to manipulate her body in an effort to…" she looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable, "to raise the possibility of conception."

His shock was not contained that time. He was vaguely aware of Leia's concern, and he gestured with his hand and the lock on the door clicked. "Cilghal," his face paled. "Cilghal, was Jaina raped?"

"I cannot be certain."

"Why?"

She hesitated. "There are signs that Jaina has recently had intercourse, but the most specific time frame the analytic droids can tell me is within the past twenty-four hours. Normally there would be physical indicators… bruises, blood…but given the circumstances…"

Luke felt decidedly queasy. "So either Kyp waited until she was unconscious…" He had a sudden idea. "But not necessarily. If we got Jag down here and ran some DNA matches…?" His voice trailed off hopefully but Cilghal shook her head.

"We need to wait for her to wake up first. You aren't considering a third option."

"Third?"

"We don't know why Kyp was in her room at all. It's possible that he approached her and she… accepted the proposition. In which case, you'd be putting her in the situation of explaining that to her boyfriend and possibly her parents with little warning."

Luke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking. "What do we tell Han and Leia, in the meantime?"

"For now… that the assault on her brain was strong and undisciplined and thus causing her inability to pull herself out of it as she normally would a trance."

He nodded. Leia would know that there was something he wasn't telling her- so he'd leave the explaining to Cilghal, who was much more practiced at this sort of thing.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

She woke slowly, gradually becoming more aware of the sounds of the infirmary; droids whirred as they moved around out in the corridor, and the one next to her was humming and making a low beeping sound as it kept track of her vital signs.

Her eyes opened and she squinted against the light. A cup of water sat on the tray next to the bed, and she reached for it- and nearly knocked it over in surprise when the droid suddenly spoke.

"Ah, you're awake, Miss Solo," the droid's voice was a shade less-prissy than Threepio's. "Mistress Cilghal would like to speak with you if you are feeling well enough."

"Oh, I… sure," she muttered, taking a long sip from the water. Her head hurt a little, but it was clear, and the aches in her body had diminished since she'd woken up and spoken with her parents… how long ago was that? "What time is it?" she queried the droid.

"Twelve minutes before eighteen hundred standard hours."

She sat back with a tired sigh. Whatever was wrong with her, it had certainly taken up her day; she'd slept three hours after fainting in the meeting, and apparently another five nearly now. She sensed the approaching healer, however, and looked towards the door moments before she appeared.

"Jaina," Cilghal slid noiselessly into the room, "how are you feeling?"

"Fine… slight headache, and my body feels like I've just run the length of the ship and back a few times, but… fine. Are my parents still here?"

Cilghal shook her head. "They left when you went back to sleep earlier, I told them I would call them when you awoke again, but I need to speak to you first; as does Master Skywalker."

Something in the way she said that put Jaina on edge. "What's wrong?"

"Hopefully nothing," the mon calamari's gravelly voice was as reassuring as it could be. "But we need to ask you a few things." Jaina looked around, as though expecting to see her uncle standing somewhere unnoticed. Cilghal followed her thoughts. "Master Skywalker will join us momentarily, but I have a couple of medical questions of a more personal nature."

"Okay."

"Jaina, your blood sample showed that you're receiving injections of a hormone inhibitor." Jaina nodded. "When were you last medicated?"

The young woman frowned, thinking. "It would have been… five weeks ago, maybe six."

"And can you tell me the last time you had intercourse?"

Jaina went slightly red but answered steadily after a moment's pause. "A week ago." The faintest flicker of… something… caught her attention from the healer but it was gone before she could pinpoint the emotion. "Can I ask why that matters?"

She got the sense that Cilghal was choosing her words carefully. "It seems that Master Durron's efforts last night inadvertently affected the chemicals in your system, causing the semblance of illness. I believe I have managed to overcome the issue, however, and will give you an additional low-dose to ensure continued… effectiveness."

"Oh… okay…" Jaina frowned. Before she could ask for further clarification on the matter, her uncle tapped on the door and Cilghal summoned him in. "Uncle Luke," she said warmly, if a bit warily. "How are things?"

"Alright," he smiled. "Saba and Kenth are optimistic about locating Kyp soon. But how are you?"

She waved the question away. "You didn't recall them?" she demanded.

"No," he looked puzzled. "Don't you think Kyp would expect that?"

"Only if he thought I would betray him in favor of the council!" She took a deep breath. "And I don't think he thinks that. Now he'll think that I really…" she trailed away and looked bothered. Luke and Cilghal exchanged a glance; Cilghal shook her head almost imperceptibly.

Luke sighed. "Jaina, if you're feeling okay, I need you to tell me everything that happened last night. Every detail you remember."

"There isn't much," she admitted. "He'd been… calling to me somehow, for a couple nights, so I couldn't sleep well. I was lying there, trying to sleep and… Kyp was just suddenly there, next to my bed. I didn't hear him, or sense him come in, I've no idea how he did it."

"Do you know what he wanted?"

She shrugged. "He said he wanted to know if I'd choose him or the Council; I didn't understand. He said…" she hesitated. "He said that he expected you'd send someone else- and he specifically speculated about Masters Hamner and Sebatyne- to go after him. I told him you hadn't and probably wouldn't." She sounded bitter at the last part, and Luke winced.

"No one off the Council knew," he said softly. "Not even your parents." When she didn't respond, he asked, "Did he say anything else?"

"I don't… he said that he hadn't wanted to hurt Master Horn. He seemed… apologetic. And he'd heard about Anakin and Jacen," her breath caught for a moment, "and he was sorry."

"Is there anything else?" he asked softly. She hesitated. "I'm sorry, Jaina, I know it's… personal. But it's very important."

She sighed heavily and shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "Nothing significant," she muttered. "He was… sentimental. He said he missed me, that he… that he loved me," she went a bit pink and Luke pretended not to notice. "He asked me to leave with him; I said I couldn't. He understood."

Luke hesitated a moment. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"He held me; he called me 'goddess,' so apparently the ruse is spreading," she added ruefully. "And… I was getting so tired, and I felt like I was falling asleep. He said," she blushed and looked down, "he promised that soon I'd be _his_ again, when the war was over. But that's the last thing he said," she looked up again. "Or at least, the last I remember."

Luke and Cilghal exchanged another look. "What?" Jaina asked slowly. "Please tell me what's wrong, one of you."

"Jaina," her uncle said softly. "There's no easy way to tell you this, but…" he looked down and closed his eyes, an uncharacteristic expression of wearied sorrow from the Jedi master. "We think Kyp raped you."

The ensuing silence was heavy, and seemed to stretch on much longer than it really did. And then, completely inexplicably… Jaina laughed. "What? You _think_? Uncle Luke… I know Kyp has done some bad things recently, but, besides hurting Master Horn who was already attacking him, he's been doing them to fight the Vong, or the Peace Brigade. If he'd wanted…" she went pink again and looked away. "If that was what he was after, he would have asked. He seems to have forgotten just how much he hurt me at Sernpidal all those months ago," she added softly.

"Maybe he knew about Jag," Luke said evenly.

She was dubious. "If he did, he wouldn't have come to me, and he _certainly_ wouldn't have asked me to run away with him. He loves me- or thinks he does, anyway- and if he knew about Jag, he'd have been angry or jealous, but he doesn't operate on that personal level of cruelty."

Luke sighed and nodded towards Cilghal who stepped to her bedside and sat on a stool. Luke stood and strode to the door, looking out the small window with his hands clasped behind his back. This gave them a semblance of privacy, but told Jaina that he wasn't finished with this conversation. For the first time, she felt a flicker of fear and turned stoically to the healer.

"Jaina," the mon calamari said gently. "Your body shows signs of recent intercourse; much more recent than the week it's been since you last recall any such encounter," she pointed out softly. "Having eliminated the possibility of your boyfriend or a consensual encounter with Kyp, I'm afraid there's no other conclusion that can be drawn."

Luke had to fight from recoiling against the wave of distress radiating from his niece. "Why?" she whispered. "He's never hurt me like that- not intentionally anyway. Why would he…?" she trailed away before looking back up at Cilghal, her demeanor turning cold. "Why did you want to know about the inhibitor medication? You said he inadvertently affected it… Master Cilghal? What did he do to me?"

The pain in her voice was minute next to the angst Luke felt pouring from her. He came back to the bedside and sat, speaking lowly. "Jaina, there's more, and it'll probably hurt worse than what you already know." She nodded dumbly. "Kyp seems to have used the Force to invade and manipulate your body while you were asleep in an effort to ensure that you would conceive."

She froze. "Why?"

He sighed. "Based on what you've told us, I'm forced to conclude that he thought you'd never know, about either act. If he didn't know you'd been seeing anyone, he likely thought you had ceased the treatment after leaving him, and consequently did not foresee the adverse reaction between the chemical and his attempts at manipulating your body through the Force."

"Why?" her voice was soft by steely.

"I think…" he hesitated. "He seems dangerously attached to you, based on your account. My best guess is that he thought that, if you were carrying his child, you would be 'his,' again and forever, that you'd have no choice but to go to him. Perhaps he planned to come back again and seduce you, giving a plausible explanation for a pregnancy after so many months' absence."

"But Jag…" she whispered.

"You've already discounted the idea that he knew about Jag. He certainly seems under the impression that you care for him still; perhaps it never crossed his mind that you weren't coming back, that you've already moved on."

Jaina struggled to keep her tears at bay. "So… am I pregnant?" she asked Cilghal, eyes wide and terrified.

"It is much too early to say, even for a Jedi," Cilghal said softly. "But on the whole, it seems unlikely. Your body fought against the attack, and the effectiveness of the medication, while diminished, does not seem to have been nullified. We can't know for sure for a couple of weeks though."

She stared stoically ahead at the door, numb and in shock. "In the meantime," Luke continued softly, "if you'd like, we can be discreet about this; I understand if you'd prefer no one else to know, but we should see about ensuring you are protected, especially at night." She was mute, and Luke sighed sadly, sensing her desire for space. He was almost out the door when it opened from the outside and Mara burst in.

"Saba," she snapped, handing a comlink to Luke. He took it and conversed in low tones, and Mara turned and regarded her niece. She had not been privy to the most recent goings-on, but could easily sense her niece's distraught and withdrawn feelings. Her wonderings about what had happened between Jaina, Luke, and Cilghal were cut short when Luke thumbed off the comlink and turned sadly back to the others.

"You better prepare for a new patient," he told Cilghal somberly.

"Saba?"

He shook his head. "Kenth. He's going to need a new hand."

**End Part II**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Still doesn't belong to me. :-(

**Part III**

It was nearly two hours later, as Jaina was preparing to leave the medical bay, when Saba Sebatyne and Kenth Hamner arrived, Kenth's right arm tucked under his traveling cloak. Cilghal quickly got him situated and set a droid to work on cleaning the cauterized remainder of his wrist and another on beginning measurements on a prosthetic. He seemed to be managing the pain well, grimacing periodically, but well in tune with the conversation among Luke, Mara, and Saba.

"He knew these ones were coming," Saba hissed. "The Council must not be az secure as the masterz thought."

Mara frowned. "We still haven't been able to learn just _how_ he found out, but we're looking into the matter." Kenth and Saba exchanged a furtive look. "What?"

"Durron, uh… _strongly hinted_… at the source of his information," he shot Luke an apologetic look.

Luke's eyes hardened. "He told you it was Jaina, didn't he?"

"Like I said, it was a hint, more than a direct declaration…"

The Jedi master sighed. "It wasn't her," he shook his head. "I don't know how he found out, but Kyp was here, aboard the _Mon Mothma_ last night." Kenth and Saba radiated surprise. "He snuck into Jaina's quarters somehow and talked to her and then…" _hurt her so badly that I could almost go back to the dark side just to justify killing him_, "he forced her into a trance. Han and Leia found her this morning and when they finally got her awake, she rushed to the meeting to tell us. I'm sorry," he truly was. "It was my decision not to tell you; I thought Kyp would expect that, and would _then_ spring a trap. I only just realized the full extent of his… delusion."

"What did he want with Jaina?" Saba frowned, her tail twitching in barely suppressed anger.

Luke shrugged wearily, but another, soft voice sounded from the doorway.

"He wanted to know if I still care for him; if I'd tell him about your plans. Ignorance saved me, but it won't again."

"What do you mean?" Mara demanded, eyeing her niece in increasing concern; Jaina looked grim and weary, and a cold sense of numbness poured off of her.

"Why else would he tell them?" Jaina asked disinterestedly. "He thinks he can maneuver it so that you'll stop trusting me, send me away, alienate me from the Order and what's left of my family."

Luke nodded thoughtfully. "And then who do you think would be there to pick up the pieces…?" he speculated.

"Thereby eliminating any existing doubt in the Council's minds that I was working with him all along."

There was a general sense of confusion among most of the room's occupants, but they didn't know everything- indeed, they knew very little. Luke didn't care much at the moment. He motioned Jaina out into the corridor, and Mara followed uninvited; he didn't turn her back.

He struggled for words. "I just… I wish I understood this _obsession_," he directed softly to Jaina. She looked away uncomfortably. "He wants to get at you, but wants to connive to the point that it's almost on _your_ terms instead of his."

"If I may," Mara stepped in quietly. "I think I might understand. I believe that Kyp views Jaina as his path to redemption."

This proclamation was met with a long silence. "How do you get there?" Luke finally asked.

"By all accounts, Kyp's regression times roughly with your falling out, after Sernpidal," she told Jaina, who winced. "After being told for months that his tactics were dangerously close to the dark side, your sudden departure confirmed it for him- he cared about your opinion in a way that he never valued Luke's, or anyone else in the Order. I won't speculate on why that is," she added in a tone that told Jaina that she knew exactly why, "but I think it shook him. All of a sudden, he thinks he _has_ relapsed to the dark side. Now he's free to do things he probably already wanted to do, but you kept him grounded while you were his apprentice. And that freedom… that freedom is what really sent him down the wrong path that he was merely skirting before.

"What choice does he then have? He's recognized what he's become, maybe it took his fight with Corran to really show him how far he's strayed… but now he's estranged even further the one person whose opinion he truly values. He's alone, friendless, has no family. He wants your trust again, Jaina, maybe even your affection, needs someone to care for him- but he doesn't think he'll get it without orchestrating it."

Luke nodded. "So he tries to create a situation- or situations- where Jaina has no one else to turn to."

"And we can run away from war and death, and find somewhere to be together…" Jaina's voice was distant and hollow, thinking about Mara's words: _alone, friendless, no family_. Sighing, she looked up at her aunt and uncle. "Sorry- that's what he told me, when he said I should go with him. It makes sense," she admitted. And then her resolve hardened into something fierce and cold. "Well, he shouldn't hold his breath. I'll never trust him again- _never_."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_One Week Later_

Her parents were worried about her- she hadn't told anyone about what she, Luke, and Cilghal had discovered, and she trusted their discretion as well. She did her best to keep the bitterness at bay around them, but she knew her mother could sense that she was hiding something. They were leaving for the Maw soon though, which put Jaina in a difficult situation.

She had convinced Luke that she was fine staying where she was, in one of the few, small apartments aboard the _Mon Mothma_; however, once her parents were gone, she would logically resume staying in one of the single-person billet-style quarters- where there would be no one near her if anything happened. And it seemed likely that, if he had another move to make, Kyp would make it soon.

Well, then Jaina just needed to outwit him. She went to go comm Zekk.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

"Jag, I need your help."

He stepped back and allowed her to enter his sparse billet. "Oh?" His brow quirked up and she fought against wincing at his cool skepticism as it reminded her that she'd completely avoided him for the past week outside of squadron training.

"I'm sorry I've been distant but things have been pretty hectic for the Jedi…"

He nodded, frowning. "Yes, of course; how is Master Hamner recovering?"

She sighed. "Fine, all things considered; a shiny new prosthetic that looks exactly like his old hand, but he swears the skin tone is a shade off." Jag snorted softly. "But that's sort of what I need to talk to you about."

"What do you need?"

He was completely business- maybe that was for the best. It might make the conversation that was sure to ensue a little easier to stomach. "I need you to come with me during your two weeks of leave."

A beat passed. "Jaina, I don't _have_ two weeks of leave."

"You do now," she smiled apologetically. "Goddess's privilege. I told General Antilles that I'm feeling a bit overworked and require some time away- with my choice of pleasurable company, of course." The truth was that Wedge was thrilled with her performance of the last week, snapping at people and doing whatever she damn well pleased- only, he didn't realize that was just how she felt until she went and explained what she needed to do with time away from the _Mon Mothma_.

Jag's brow rose a bit higher. "Of course," he drawled ruefully. "What do you _actually_ need?"

She sighed. "You to help me bring in Kyp Durron."

The silence stretched longer this time. Finally, he frowned. "I'm no Jedi; I can't help you with this."

"Actually," her voice was soft and sad, "you're probably the only one who can."

"Why?" his tone was shrewdly calculating. "And why you? You're not a master."

Her eyes closed and she took a few deep breaths. "Because I'm the only one who will be able to get to him without risking further bloodshed, but I need a non-threatening, non-Jedi with me."

"How?"

"By getting him to come to me."

He stared at her quietly for several seconds. "Why would he come to you?" She was quiet and tense. "Jaina?" She didn't respond, and he approached her, looking carefully into her face but she wouldn't meet his eyes. He reached out to pull a lock of hair out of her eyes… and she turned her head aside, shutting him out. Sadly, he took her hand in his, gripping it tighter when she tried to free it, and she finally looked at him, and he saw anger, bitterness, fear, sorrow… _fear_? "Jaina," he breathed, pulling her closer to him, "what's happened to you?"

She didn't cry-she wouldn't. But for a long time, he sat with her on the small bed, arms around her shoulders while she shook slightly and tried to calm her breathing.

When she was sufficiently calmed, she leaned away from him and began to talk.

"You know that I was Kyp's apprentice for several months, since I last saw you at Ithor and before we met again in Hapes?" she asked. He nodded. "We were involved… romantically… at the same time." He said nothing and she realized he'd already suspected this. "And when he tricked me into helping destroy a growing Vong worldship, I left him and left his squadron. It wasn't long after that when my aunt contacted me to say that he'd disappeared, and soon afterwards, we began hearing about the kinds of things Kyp was doing fighting the Vong and the Peace Brigade."

"Surely you don't blame yourself for Durron's instability?"

She hesitated, uncomfortable. "There might have been… correlation. He's been… I can't explain it. _Watching_ me somehow, I can feel his presence in the back of my mind." Jag scowled. "I managed to keep it under control while preparing for the Myrkr mission, but… it got worse. Two weeks ago. And then, two nights later… he just appeared in my room in the middle of the night."

Jag started. "Like… an apparition?"

"No," she smiled tightly. "_Him_. He said things… he wanted me to go with him and disappear," the scowl deepened. "And then he wanted to know if I'd choose him over the Council. I didn't understand, because I didn't _know_ what the Council's plans were- no one did. Kyp thought my ignorance meant that I was out of the loop because… maybe because I defended him, I'm not sure, but he clearly thought it meant that they don't trust me. But he obviously already knew about Masters Sebatyne and Hamner."

"Didn't you tell anyone?"

She shook her head sadly. "I couldn't; he forced me into a sort of trance. My parents were barely able to wake me late the next morning, and then I fainted again after telling the Council that Kyp had been in my room."

His eyes lightened in sudden understanding. "I was told you were sick," he acknowledged.

She nodded. "I was, sort of. And then that night, Sebatyne and Hamner came back and apparently Kyp hinted at them that _I_ was the one who told him the plan." She paused. "Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara think that he's trying to isolate me, make the Council alienate me, so that he'll be able to take advantage of my vulnerability and… _keep_ me," she winced at the word. "Aunt Mara thinks that he views my forgiveness as his path to redemption."

"Do you think he can be redeemed?" Jag asked her evenly. Jaina hesitated. "I mean… he's not exactly gone _Sith_, has he? His methods may not hold with the Jedi code, but in general, he has the best interests of the galaxy at heart… right?"

Her expression was helpless. "I don't know… I thought so… but now…"

He frowned. "What? You think the incident with Master Hamner…?" He was calculating. "Or something else? Jaina?" She shrugged listlessly. "Did he do something worse?"

"We need to bring him in before he hurts anyone else," she avoided the question- and his eyes. "And I think I have a plan for how to do it."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_Two Days Later_

"General, the colonel and I will be departing this afternoon- as soon as possible."

Wedge Antilles looked up, surprised. "Has something happened?"

"Not yet," she muttered. "But it's only a matter of time before the Council decides to do something that gets a Jedi or Kyp killed."

The expression on Wedge's face gave her the impression that he wouldn't be horribly distraught in the latter event. "Very well; I'll begin disseminating the details of your, er… _furlough_," he grinned, "through certain channels as soon as you've lifted off. It shouldn't take Durron long to hear about it if he's paying any attention."

As she left the office, Jaina reflected that, as much as she truly liked Jag, it was still awful using him like this- but then again, she wasn't deceiving him, he knew he was the catalyst, that factor that would make Kyp irresistibly drawn to her when they were on 'leave' aboard the _Errant Venture_. If Wedge did his job right- and he always did- then word would spread around the fleet about the 'Goddess' demanding some R&R to have a romantic interlude with her second-in-command…

And she- she was the bait.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

She tensed as a tap sounded at the door to her quarters; stretching out in the Force, she sensed it was her uncle; ah well, no use pretending she wasn't here then. She tapped the release button and it slid open, admitting him.

"Jaina," he said warmly, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

_Just packing. _"Of course not, Uncle Luke. What can I do for you?"She did her best to keep her voice calm, uninterested.

"I want to go with you."

She froze. "What?"

He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry; I don't think anyone else knows. But you're determined and distracted, and I know you well enough to know that you're planning something. And now that your parents have left… I'm forced to conclude that your 'leave' is just a trap designed for Kyp." She looked down. "Jaina, you know you don't have to do this," he murmured softly. "What's happened with Kyp… it isn't your fault."

"Maybe not," she bit bitterly. "But he's made it my responsibility." She paused. "We leave tonight."

**End Part III**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: Still the same…

**A/N**: just a reminder that, if this looks familiar, it's also a one-shot called _Not Enough_ that was written first, before I decided to model a whole story around it.

**Part IV**

She woke, and knew he was coming for her before she even remembered where she was.

It was too dark, too quiet, to be in the midst of a war; the past two years were a blur of dogfights in her XJ X-wing, and to be away from it, however fleetingly brief…

An arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her close.

But he was getting closer to her, so she needed to extract herself from the grasp; it would not do to have the inevitable conversation here, like this…

_Conversation_. What a laugh. The limits of their civility had yet to be proven enough to partake in something as relaxed as _conversation_.

Slipping on a robe, she silently exited the small billet, letting the door slide noiselessly shut once more. A glance to her left… and then her right…

She was grabbed from the left, though moments ago the passage had been empty. Not panicking, not attempting to free herself, she was pushed against the opposite wall with just enough force to show her he was serious.

The show of strength was unnecessary; she'd known he was here; she knew he was serious.

A hooded face leaned over her, forcing her to look up, accentuating that she was smaller, weaker…

And she was- there were very few people against whom that was an accurate comparison. But here, tonight- it was true.

The face leaned closer, attempting to elicit a reaction, any reaction…

"Awfully late for a stroll in your sleeping robe, Jaina."

"I felt you coming." Of course she did- he had wanted her to.

"Ah… a welcoming committee then." He was playing with her, a nexu ready to pounce… "Why don't we talk in your quarters? I'm sure it's much more… comfortable… in there."

Blink. "No."

"Why?"

"You know damn well why." He was getting to her.

His laugh was low and dangerous. "I do; but I want to hear you say it."

"Why are you here, Kyp?"

His hand was at her throat- not tight, but there, a lingering threat. "I want to hear you say it," he hissed.

"No; I won't let you derive the satisfaction."

A low growl came from his throat, barely audible, even from the close proximity. "How does he make you feel? Can he make you shiver with a single touch?" He punctuated the question by running his hand around her neck and then grasping the back, making her tense; still, she did not retaliate.

"Why are you doing this?"

His breath was hot against her ear. "I like watching you squirm." His free hand came up to rest on her hip.

"You know that it's yourself you are hurting; not me."

"Do you remember what it was like?" he whispered, ignoring her. "You couldn't be satisfied… your quarters, mine… the sanisteam stall… your X-wing cockpit…"

"Stop." Her eyes closed; she'd let him get to her.

"He can't handle you like I can; he's a whelp, an errand-boy; you need someone stronger, older, smarter… a Jedi needs a Master… he'll never be able to affect you like I can…" the hem of her robe slowly rose as his hand sought the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.

She couldn't restrain the shiver. "It's too late for that, Kyp. You betrayed me."

"I loved you."

"That's not always enough."

"No," his voice became a deadly whisper, "it isn't, is it?"

As planned, a wave of cold, unfeeling washed over her; as planned, the moment he turned to investigate the disturbance, she elbowed him in the jaw.

He was too tall, the distance too great, she didn't have the room to build up enough force behind the motion; she hurt him, but did no lasting damage. Snarling, he turned back and slammed her against the wall once more, hands on her upper arms, face close.

"Back away from her, Durron." His surprise was betrayed by one fast flicker of his eyes towards the second newcomer, standing in the doorway of her room.

He turned back to her, ignoring the blaster at his back. "You- _you_ did this." He laughed, a terrible, desperate noise. "One betrayal deserves another?"

"You need help, Kyp. Master Skywalker will get you what you need."

The grip around her shoulders tightened. Her eyes flickered once to the man with a blaster at the threshold of her room, once to the one two meters down the corridor, lightsaber unlit but in hand. "What about _you_, Jaina. Will you give me what I need?"

"I'd have given you anything." For the first time, her voice trembled.

His cruel smirk widened as his hand crept between the folds of her robe, coming to rest above her heart. "You lie; some things I wanted were never yours to give." Her heart thudded three, slow beats.

"I loved you."

"Love isn't always enough; you may have given me your love… your _body_…" his hand rose to cup her cheek and she closed her eyes at the contact. "But your heart- that's been safely locked away where no one can touch it… no one can _hurt _it…"

He kissed her once- softly at first, a painful reminder of what they'd once had, but growing forceful, almost violent… his hands held her head firmly in place, preventing her from turning away from him…

She bit him; he recoiled and struck her across the face. A trickle of blood ran from her nose, but she felt no pain and her eyes did not leave his as he stood, breathing heavily.

That laugh again. His attention turned towards the man with a blaster behind his left shoulder. "What did she promise you, Fel?" His gaze slid down the hallway on the other side. "Or you, Zekk? What things were whispered between you and Jaina when the other wasn't looking? Her promises are empty… like her heart…"

"C'mon, Kyp," Zekk slipped quietly behind and bound the older man's ankles with stun-cuffs, movements awkward due to the ysalamiri frame on his back. Kyp reached out for her face one more time, running his thumb softly over her bruising cheek.

She shivered. His eyes darkened in fleeting satisfaction.

And then his wrists were bound behind his back by another pair of binders. But his eyes never left hers. "I'd have given you anything too," he whispered.

Then he was gone, led away slowly due to his shuffling walk. Once they'd retreated a certain distance, the Force came flooding back to her and with it, Kyp's pain at her betrayal and… twisted, demented, but still there and recognizable… his love for her, his forgiveness.

A strangled sob escaped her and she slid to the floor as Jag rushed to her side.

"You're hurt," he gently wiped at the blood on her face with a kerchief. "Do you need the med bay?"

Still sobbing, she shook her head; nothing was broken. She didn't think Kyp had the strength to hurt her even that much.

"Fel to Skywalker." _When had he reached for a comlink?_ "Zekk is en route with the prisoner, standby."

"Copy, Fel; is everyone alright?"

He glanced once at Jaina who nodded numbly. "Affirmative; it was a clean capture." As they knew it would be; that had been the beauty of her plan. Yet the weeks it had taken them to agree to it… Corran Horn might not have needed to spend twelve days in a bacta tank, and Kenth Hamner might not have a newly acquired prosthetic hand.

She was his weakness. His jealousy, possessiveness... he'd found the trap irresistible. Just as they knew he would.

As Jag carried her trembling form back into the room, she thought about how wrong Kyp had been; her heart was not protected, unable to be hurt…

It felt like it had been pierced through with a vibroblade and was somehow, miraculously, still beating.

**End Part IV**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Still ain't mine.

**A/N: **Comments are always appreciated. ;-) Hope you're all enjoying.

**Part V**

First, he was mad. Sitting alone in a holding bay aboard the anonymous New Republic shuttle, feeling bare and powerless against the effects of the ysalamiri, he had several hours to contemplate his anger. He just couldn't decide where to funnel it.

She had tricked him, that much was obvious. The entire setup… clearly she had _wanted_ him to hear about her little rendez-vous on Terrik's ship, and had positioned Zekk to come and nullify his substantial Force powers when he was most distracted… when he was facing Jaina's… infidelity.

Strangely, he felt more inclined to be furious with Zekk, with the Fel whelp and… beyond all others… with Master Skywalker before he was angry with Jaina.

With Jaina, it was a heart-wrenching sadness he felt above all else. She said she missed him… had let him hold her, kiss her… where had he miscalculated? The Jedi didn't trust her, hadn't included her in their plans, and clearly she hadn't given him away the next morning when she woke…

So why would she betray him so… cruelly?

He was left to ponder this for the long hyperspace jump back to the _Mon Mothma_.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

"So Master Skywalker is acting unilaterally now?" Corran asked skeptically.

Mara huffed. "No- Jaina planned everything with Jag Fel and Zekk. Luke tagged along at the last minute."

"Without consulting the Council."

"Might I point out that it _worked_," Mara bit. "Maybe if we had listened to Jaina three months ago, we wouldn't have found ourselves in this situation. You've been awfully critical of the girl for a while now, Corran, let's say you give it a rest, eh?"

He looked briefly chagrined. "I just question some of her judgment," he muttered. "If she'd been thinking straight, she would never have involved herself with Kyp Durron in the first place."

Kyle Katarn attempted to be the voice of reason. "What does Master Skywalker intend to do with Durron when they arrive? Keeping him confined will be… difficult."

Mara nodded. "Zekk procured some ysalamiri for the operation. Tentatively… General Antilles has arranged for Luke and I to take over the officer's apartment that the Solos just vacated. With some quick modifications, we can keep him secure and comfortable in the second bedroom and easily keep tabs on him until we decide if a more long-term solution will be required."

"What sort of long-term solution?" Cilghal frowned.

"Hopefully none, but I won't speculate. Not yet, anyway."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_Two Weeks Later_

Luke tapped softly on the door to Jaina's quarters at precisely eleven hundred hours, just as she had requested. The door slid open almost instantly, and he stepped inside…

And his brows rose. She had packed and cleaned up everything, and was currently sitting and emptying out the last drawer of the small desk in the far corner of the room.

"Going somewhere?" he asked mildly.

For a long time, she didn't answer. Luke sat on the edge of the stripped cot and watched her sadly.

"Admiral Kre'fey needs tactical support over in the Borleias system; he has too many rookie pilots who haven't got the experience they need against coralskippers."

"What about the Goddess routine?"

She shrugged. "Once I'm gone, Wedge will hand Twin Suns over to Lowie. I can be a goddess from the bridge of the _Ralroost_. Deities are unpredictable, after all." There was a faint smile on her lips, but it didn't extend to her eyes.

Shutting the lid of the compact cargo case, she dropped it on the floor with a bang, and sat back and observed her uncle. "You know why I'm leaving, don't you?"

His eyes were sad and she looked away. "I'd guessed. I'm sorry." He paused and watched her closely, feeling the calm, but sad acceptance of what was to come. "What will you do?"

"I'll be fine on the _Ralroost_ for a while. In a few months… we'll see." She took a deep breath. "How's Kyp?"

The turn of topic caught him off guard. "He's… okay. Still working out some of the anger, but I think he's starting to feel… understanding. He asks about you. Every day."

"What do you tell him?"

"That you don't want to see him. Once he understands _why_, he'll start to repent. And that's usually the longest phase."

"What's after repentance?"

He smiled softly. "Self-forgiveness. Acceptance. You can't expect others to forgive your actions if you are unable to as well."

She hesitated. "Do… do you think he'll be okay?"

"Eventually," Luke replied evenly. "Don't forget, he's been here before. This time though… it may be harder, without the spirit of a long-dead Sith lord to blame. Or maybe it'll be easier for him because he knows that this is of his own doing." He thought for a moment. "He talks to Mara a lot, he's still mad at me most of the time… and for all that they got under each others' skin before, she connects to him. He's very much in the same place she was when I met her."

Her eyes were wet, and she brushed away unshed tears hastily. "Well, I hope for Kyp's sake that he can forgive himself someday," she looked down, "because I don't know that I ever will." For a long time, they sat in the heavy silence that followed this proclamation. Despite the un-Jedi nature of what she'd said… Luke couldn't bring himself to chastise her for it. Not after everything. "I have a favor to ask of you," she finally spoke up softly.

"Jag?" he guessed.

Jaina flushed. "Yes. I can't… he'll ask why I'm leaving, and I just can't explain it, not now. He wouldn't understand."

"Don't sell Jag short," Luke admonished.

"Please," she whispered. "I just… he's been the best. I love him. And I don't want to repay that by dragging him into this. You can tell him everything when I'm gone, but it's for the best if we make a clean split of things now."

He may not have agreed, but he nodded anyway. "Jaina- take care of yourself, okay? If you need anything at all… you know Mara or myself will move planets to get there."

She smiled warmly and a little wryly. "How appropriate that you look out for my parents' child while they watch out for yours."

"Yes, well… don't forget to keep them updated of your relative whereabouts. They left worried about you."

"I'm fine," she murmured softly. "Thanks for your help, Uncle Luke- with everything."

And she was gone without another word.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

Jagged Fel stared at him blankly. "Gone," he echoed. "Just like that."

"I'm sorry; I'm afraid so. She asked me to explain to you-"

"Explain?" Jag demanded, displaying a remarkably unusual outbreak of emotion. "What could she possibly have sent you to explain?"

Luke pursed his lips and took the plunge. "Everything."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_The Next Day_

He couldn't stop himself from asking. "Master Skywalker?"

Luke turned in surprise. Kyp hadn't addressed him directly in the two weeks he'd been sharing quarters with them unless it was absolutely necessary. Mara was his main point of contact. "Yes, Kyp? Care to join me for a cup of caf, or tea perhaps?"

The younger man shook his head and, despite his worry-lines and premature graying, brought on by the recent war, he looked wide-eyed and young, much more innocent than Luke ever remembered him seeming.

He also looked nervous. "I… I can hardly sense Jaina anymore," he said in a rush. "Is she alright?"

The Jedi master observed his former pupil for a long minute, pondering what, if anything, he should tell him. "She is fine," he finally settled. "She left- yesterday. You don't sense her as well because she's too far away." Luke also suspected that she was specifically attempting to close herself off from Kyp, but had no way of knowing.

Kyp's face fell. The concern would have been endearing if he hadn't misused it so horribly earlier. "Is she coming back?"

Luke held his gaze steadily. "I don't know; I wouldn't concern yourself with it." Not for the first time, Luke wondered if Kyp suspected how much he knew… and then decided that it didn't matter. The point was that Kyp and only Kyp knew all of his failings, and it would be up to him alone to atone for them.

**End Part V**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: As per usual…

**Part VI**

The galaxy went on; war continued; months passed.

Jaina didn't come back. And one day, Kyp stopped asking about her.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

"I'm not sure this is a great idea…"

Luke studied the young man carefully. "Why?"

"I… I haven't left this ship in… what? Five months?" It was true; whenever the Jedi undertook a mission, either Luke or Mara stayed behind at first, and eventually Kyp was left to his own devices provided he checked in with Cilghal twice a day.

Mara sighed. "Then don't you think it's time to be moving on?"

Kyp stood and paced frantically about the living space. "Yes, but to go right back out there against the Vong… I feel too strongly about them, surely you can see that? I hate them, what they've done to this galaxy, what they've done to the people I care about. That hatred drove me before, and look where it got me! I lost everything I cared about, that I was trying to protect."

"Then perhaps it's time to prove that you've learned from your mistakes?" Luke said softly. "You've recognized the source of your slip, and that's important… you can use that. If you can't help but hate the Yuuzhan Vong, then try to turn that hatred into something good, and productive. Save lives, and know that every life you save is in rebellion against them." Kyp hesitated. "You have an extraordinary gift for the Force, Kyp; I'd hate to see you abandon that out of fear of yourself."

Kyp sighed heavily. "Tell me more about this strike team to Coruscant."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_One Month Later_

Mara steeled herself and addressed the Jedi on the Council. Looking around, she met the gazes of Corran Horn, Cilghal, Kenth Hamner, Kyle Katarn, and Saba Sebatyne in turn, impressing upon each the seriousness of what she had to say.

"Kyp Durron will be joining this Council from now on, for as long as he chooses to remain." Silence; so far so good. "Luke fully expects that he be accorded the same respect as any of would give each other, and the compassion any of us would wish for in his place." She paused and analyzed faces. Corran's face was tense, but no surprise there… Kyp had never been his favorite person. Kyle, Kenth, and Saba took the news in stride, seeming neither surprised nor bothered by it. Cilghal's mon cal face was, as usual, difficult to read, but Mara thought she sensed a flicker of… consternation, perhaps, which seemed quite out of place for the Jedi healer. The room went without comment, however, and Mara continued. "There is only one specific request that Luke makes of you- try to avoid the topic of Jaina Solo in Kyp's presence. Apparently it's still a bit of a sensitive subject."

Kyle frowned. "What ever happened to her? I haven't seen her around in ages."

"I heard she was gallivanting across the Outer Rim with Jag Fel," Corran put in. "Reconnaissance and scouting for Kre'fey and the Chiss, I think."

Saba hissed. "This one thinkz that iz odd; quite the talented fighter pilot to waste on scouting."

Mara held up a hand to put an end to conversation. "Whatever the reason for Jaina's change in lifestyle choice, the point is that Kyp's been weaning himself off of his feelings for her, and after the mission to Coruscant, I think he's almost there; the last thing he needs now is to be reminded of what he's trying to forget."

Those present acquiesced, and a few minutes later, Luke and Kyp arrived to join Mara in the debriefing to the Council regarding what they had discovered on the drop mission to Coruscant, or the newly dubbed Yuuzhan'tar.

Though quieter than usual, and certainly lacking the cocky, arrogant demeanor that had defined him at the beginning of the war, Luke thought that Kyp seemed almost back to normal among the circle of Jedi masters.

But still… there was an ever-present melancholy about him that seemed impossible to break.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

"I thought that went well," Luke commented mildly, bringing three glasses of milk to the table.

"Yeah," Kyp muttered, "no one ran me through with their lightsaber."

Mara smacked his arm playfully. Kyp gave a half-smile and looked back down at the table, running a finger around the rim of the glass but not drinking. Luke frowned and looked questioningly at Mara who nodded and took her glass into the other room, giving the two men some privacy. "What is it, Kyp?" he asked softly.

The dark-haired man looked up. "Hm?"

"You've been moping around ever since we got back."

He shrugged. "It was pretty depressing, you know. That entire planet is ruined- millions of people dead, and those poor people in the under-city who are still trying to survive…" he shuddered. "It won't matter if we take it back from the Vong once the terraforming progresses just a little further; there won't be much left to salvage. Just a big pile of durasteel and ferrocrete under a jungle of deadly plant-life."

Luke sighed. "We're doing everything we can."

"I know. It just… sometimes, it doesn't seem like it'll ever be enough, does it?"

They watched each other for a long moment. "No," Luke agreed. "Sometimes it doesn't."

He wondered what they'd even been talking about. He got his answer several minutes later when he stood and headed to the bedroom he and Mara shared. A soft voice barely caught his ears when he had almost disappeared behind the door.

"I just want to be able to say I'm sorry."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_One Month Later_

Luke woke up with a start in the middle of the night. There was nothing to alarm him, just the nighttime sounds of the ocean world of Mon Calamari; he could hear the waves breaking many stories below against the lowest, reinforced levels of the floating city.

And then he felt it again… a brief pang through the Force, like a sharp pain that faded slowly… and with it came an anticipation, and a bit of nervous excitement…

With a jolt, he knew. Smiling, he lay down once more and stretched out in the Force, lending his support and strength halfway across the galaxy.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_Six Weeks Later_

Kyle Katarn came flying into the meeting room where the Jedi masters were meeting Cal Omas and a few other members of the advisory council.

"Good heavens," Omas exclaimed, wiping at the caf he had just spilled down his front in surprise, "Master Katarn, what is it?"

The Jedi stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "Jacen… Jacen Solo…" Luke and Mara stood up. Everyone else leaned forward in their seats. "He's just arrived in orbit; he escaped."

Luke extended his awareness through the Force and felt a hesitant mind respond to his touch before opening more freely. He understood; Jacen didn't want to alarm his family by suddenly being there after so many months' absence. He smiled broadly. "Well I say we go meet him."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

The Council greeted the news of Ganner Rhysode's sacrifice with solemnity, but the general air was one of happiness, of celebration. Luke only wished that any of Jacen's immediate family were there to greet him, but Han and Leia were en route to the Remnant to try to convince Pellaeon to formally unite with what remained of the New Republic. He settled for forwarding a message to the Imperial Palace on Bastion, knowing that Gilad Pellaeon would ensure that it was passed along as quickly as possible.

He wasn't even entirely sure how to get in touch with Jaina or Jag, but he would drive his efforts that way after the brief reunion- and before dealing with this Vergere creature.

"Where's my sister?" Jacen finally asked as the initial clamor died down. Kyp was seated near Luke, and he felt him tense. "I tried to reach out to her, but she's closed herself off…" he frowned.

"Jacen," Luke said carefully, "she's been doing her own thing for the last several months, a lot of work in the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions. We'll do our best to get in touch with her."

Jacen opened his mouth to reply and then seemed to think better of it. Perhaps he read the stilted response as something better left until later to clarify- and he did.

It was several hours later that Luke finally managed to find some time alone with his long-lost nephew. He arrived at his quarters just as Jacen was finishing an emotional comm call to his parents in Bastion. They embraced for a long minute before sitting down, and Jacen eyed him with a quiet seriousness.

"What's going on with Jaina?"

Luke sighed. "She's doing okay, that much I know. But no one has really seen her for several months. She's been doing some reconnaissance work with Jag Fel, alternately for the Chiss or for Admiral Kre'fey."

Jacen's surprise was palpable. "Fel, huh? She's flying with a Chiss squadron now?"

His uncle's reply was measured. "I think they're operating by themselves. I can't say for sure."

For a long time, Jacen frowned at his uncle. "Uncle Luke, what's wrong? Why hasn't anybody seen her, or at least talked to her?"

"Look, Jacen…" he was quiet and patient. "I lot has happened while you've been gone. You remember the falling out Jaina and Kyp had, a few weeks before the Myrkr mission?" Jacen nodded. "Kyp sort of… slipped. He's better now, but he nearly killed Corran Horn, and he took off one of Kenth Hamner's hands."

"What does that have to do with Jaina?"

He hesitated. "Kyp had… very strong feelings for her. He tried to use her, to trick the Council into thinking she was slipping him information in an attempt to… get her to come back to him." Jacen frowned. "So Jaina used that, and with the help of Jag and Zekk, they captured him and brought him to us. A couple weeks later, she left and hasn't been back."

"I'm not sure I follow."

Luke sighed and shook his head. "Until we relocated to Mon Calamari, Kyp was sharing quarters with Mara and myself. I think Jaina knew that neither of them would be able to get over what had happened when they were so close." He shrugged. "She left, and Jag followed her. That's really all I can say."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_Three Weeks Later_

Only family members were present, waiting for the XJ X-wing to settle down on the landing pad. Luke and Mara held hands, and Han stood with one arm slung around Leia and the other around Jacen. As the craft powered down and the canopy popped, however, Jacen ducked from under the grasp and approached.

Jaina swung down with the grace of a dancer and was immediately swept up in her brother's embrace. Her smile was broad, despite the tears in her eyes, and Luke was relieved to see her looking happier than he could remember since the onset of the war.

"Jaina," Han and Leia approached their children and drew them both in massive hugs. "It's been so long- how are you?"

She smiled softly. "I'm doing wonderfully," she replied honestly. "It's been nice, having something of a change of scenery."

Han studied her carefully. "You look good," he said. "Jag treating you nice? For that matter, where is he?"

She laughed. "Jag is great; he stayed back on Csilla though."

"On Csilla?" Leia frowned. "I thought you were in the Outer Rim, I didn't realize you'd stopped over in Chiss Space."

Jaina waved her off. "Jag had some… things to take care of…" she glanced once at Luke whose lips quirked. "He decided to visit his family while I visited mine."

"You guys married or anything yet?" Jacen asked slyly. Jaina choked.

"What?" she demanded.

His grin widened. "Oh, you know… flying about the Wild Regions, alone, scouting out the enemy position… it's very romantic…"

She smacked him. "No," she turned to exit the hangar, the rest of the family following suit. "Not married," she dangled her ring finger over her shoulder. "Just engaged."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_Two Days Later_

Luke met Kyp's X-wing as he got back from a two-week mission to Ylesia with the _Ralroost_. He watched the slow, tired movements of the younger Jedi as he climbed out of his fighter and lowered himself gently to the ground with the aid of the Force.

They walked in silence towards Kyp's quarters, taking a long way around to the building and enjoying the smell of the salt-water that permeated the air, and the sounds of the cries of the aquatic birds, searching for small prey in the ocean below.

"You don't have to try to close yourself off," Luke finally told him. "Jaina knows you're here."

He flushed. "Oh." He sighed and stopped walking. "Maybe I shouldn't be here."

"That's up to you," Luke responded evenly, turning to face him. "But no one is asking you to go."

Kyp stood wavering for a long time before exhaling loudly and continuing walking. "I guess I can't escape my past forever, can I?"

"No," Luke eyed him curiously. "You can't." They entered the building and took a turbolift up several stories. "How was Ylesia?"

This time, he huffed. "A pain in my neck. What was _supposed_ to be a simple in-and-out sort of mission turned into a full-fledged 'ground forces capture the government and then get attacked by Yuuzhan Vong who shouldn't have been there in the first place.' It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't led the ground forces."

Luke frowned. "You volunteered for that?"

Kyp shrugged. "Someone needed to do it. And, in doing so, I had the _dubious_ honor of meeting the one and only Thrackan Sal-Solo."

"Indeed? Pray tell, what is Admiral Kre'fey planning to do with the honorable president of the Peace Brigade?"

He chuckled. "Nothing; he's being extradited to Corellia."

"Ouch."

"Ah well- he's a slippery weasel of a man, I'm sure he'll wrestle his way out of whatever punishment they deem best and have himself elected mayor of Coronet or some such."

Luke remembered the day when Kyp would have simply cut down Sal-Solo on the spot. This seemed like a remarkable improvement.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_Three Days Later_

Engaged.

Jaina Solo was engaged.

Oddly, that thought didn't bother Kyp as much as he initially thought it would. Luke had quietly told him the news shortly before the knighting ceremony for the new order of Jedi, lest it catch him off-guard if it came up in the ensuing festivities.

Mildly wistful, Kyp took a seat near the middle of the big hall where he figured he'd blend in. Apparently he figured wrong. Han and Leia slid in next to him, smiling warmly. He did his best to return the gesture.

"How are you, kid?" Han asked quietly, though the hall was still filling and the ceremony was not due to start for another ten minutes. "You've been awfully distant since you got back."

"Sorry," he muttered back, "I was just" _avoiding your daughter_ "recovering from an exhausting mission."

Han laughed. "I hear you encountered my dear cousin."

"Yeah, he's a gem; I can't see why you two don't get along." Han laughed at the sarcasm dripping in Kyp's tone.

They made casual, small talk for a few minutes and watched the soon-to-be-knighted Jedi file slowly onto the stage. It was amazing, Kyp thought, watching these Jedi- these _children_, really- who he remembered from their earliest days at the academy. The war had forced them all into adulthood much earlier than they'd probably expected.

He saw Jacen and Jaina file in at the end of the line. His heart gave a small jolt upon seeing her, but the longer Kyp studied Jaina, the better he felt.

Despite everything… she looked happy. The nine or ten months since he'd last seen her must have done her some good. Kyp took a deep breath.

It was time to move on.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

He made an obligatory appearance at the celebratory get-together afterwards. He was greeted fondly by Lowbacca and some others with whom he had flown before, but Kyp's mind was focused more towards leaving quickly and silently.

Managing to duck away from the banquet hall, he made it three steps down the stairs that led to the pedway below when he heard a soft voice call his name.

"Kyp."

He froze. She was coming towards the stairs. He kept walking without turning.

"Kyp, wait."

Sighing, he stopped again. He still didn't turn, but could feel her approaching slowly. Closing his eyes, he waited for her to start yelling, to hit him, run him through with her lightsaber… _anything…_

"I'm sorry for tricking you like I did."

His eyes snapped open. "What?" he demanded, turning. "You're… sorry? After everything _I_ did, _you're _sorry?"

Her voice was calm. "Yes. You were confused, unbalanced. I used that. It was… unfair."

A long silence stretched out between them during which he looked into her eyes and read total sincerity behind her words. So he did the only thing he could.

He laughed.

She was mildly affronted at first before realizing that the gasping laughter was turning into sobs instead, and Kyp sat heavily on the step in front of her, turned away, and put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Jaina," his voice was muffled and thick. "I'm so sorry. For everything; from using you to destroy the worldship, to hitting you aboard the _Errant Venture,_ and everything in between. I might have been confused, but that does not even begin to excuse any of it. The things I did…" he took a gasping breath. "I can't even begin to ask your forgiveness."

"Then don't," she said softly, sitting on the step next to him. Her voice was serene, her face peaceful. "But know that you have it anyway."

**End Part VI**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I'm still not George Lucas. Unfortunately.

**A/N: _Darksidesparkles_**- thanks!

**Part VII**

_Eighteen Months Later_

The word _peace_ rolled strangely around his head. It was foreign, unusual, out of the ordinary…

He spoke it aloud a few times. It still sounded odd.

More than four years of abhorrent bloodshed, trillions of sentient beings killed, dozens of planets destroyed, hundreds of species extinct or endangered… and now…

It was simply over.

In four years, Kyp Durron had changed beyond imagining. He had gone from a rash, proactive, arrogant young man without a care in the world to a thoughtful, hesitant Jedi who was more concerned with the integration of the surviving Yuuzhan Vong into the galaxy than with killing them. Though, he supposed, most of those changes had been wrought in the latter half of the war alone.

Kyp had lost two apprentices during the war; one, to the Vong, and Miko had died nobly in an act of self-sacrifice in an effort to protect others. The other… well, he'd lost Jaina through his own self-righteousness and later to his lack of discipline, self-control…

The war saw Kyp's stumble back towards the dark side, and without the spirit of a Sith lord to blame. It was more awakening that way, he supposed; he had no choice but to acknowledge his own failings, learn from them, make himself into a better person, a better Jedi for them.

And he thought he'd done a reasonable job so far. It was true, for months he had clung to the Skywalkers' guidance, was nervous and afraid of journeying out on his own again… but something about that day on Mon Calamari had changed him, and he didn't think he'd ever truly understand why. It had been a simple exchange; Jaina had offered her forgiveness, unlooked for, and simply walked back inside, leaving Kyp to his distraught wonderings of what had just transpired.

When Luke appeared a few minutes after Jaina disappeared, Kyp couldn't bring himself to ask if he'd sensed his turmoil, or if Jaina had tipped him off. But the Jedi master had sat silently with him for several minutes until Kyp spoke up.

"_She just… forgave me. Just like that."_

"_Don't squander it, Kyp. Jaina's given you a gift; use it well."_

_His voice rose as he grew more upset. "She didn't know what she was doing. She doesn't understand, doesn't even know the worst of my transgressions…"_

"_Kyp," Luke's voice was firm. "She did know; she does understand. Jaina knows what you did, what you tried to do when you went to her aboard the _Mon Mothma_. She knows, and she's forgiven you."_

_Kyp paled and his breath came in shallow gasps. "You- _you_ knew? And you took me back anyway?"_

"_I took you back all those years ago when you were just a scared teenager; I can't let my personal feelings for my family interfere with my interpretation of proper judgment. I wasn't going to abandon you to the dark side because it was my niece you hurt."_

And somehow… knowing that the worst of his sins had been laid bare before the head of the Jedi Order and that despite it all, he had not been forsaken… somehow, he'd found the strength to absolve himself of his own failures and finally move on. Jaina- the woman he had loved- had forgiven him for everything; it had been time that he do the same.

Now, as he stood in the shadows of the trees on Zonama Sekot, his thoughts turned toward Jaina Solo- eventually to be Jaina Fel, he supposed- and he sighed. In the year and a half since their short encounter on Mon Calamari, he'd seen her only once, during the pre-assault debriefing prior to the final battle to take back Yuuzhan'tar and reclaim it as Coruscant. Despite a lengthy absence from New Republic space, she and Jag had made it for the final show. There had been a fiery determination, and a keen protectiveness to her, and he admired her all the more for it.

He also grudgingly admitted, as he flew in the same squadron with Jagged Fel, that he was a decent pilot and fighter.

His reverie was interrupted and the crowd assembled began to hush as Luke Skywalker and the Yuuzhan Vong priest, Harrar, approached the plinth where they would make a small address to begin the conclave. It was sunset.

"Friends," Luke spoke softly, but used the Force to carry his voice. "We stand here this evening on the brink of a new era. Our way of life has been threatened, our faith shaken, and our willingness to stand together tested… but we have come through, and will be the stronger for it.

"I stand here now with High-priest Harrar to open this conclave, at the bidding of Sekot. Many of our numbers are still arriving, and the formal ceremonies will not begin until the day after tomorrow. For now though, enjoy the newfound freedom of peace. Everyone who has converged on Zonama Sekot has come with the understanding that we are all among friends.

"So please- reacquaint yourselves with old friends, don't be afraid to forge friendships anew as we begin this journey towards making the galaxy a safe place for ourselves, our children, and their children to come. Speaking of whom…"

A shuttle flew overhead and could be seen descending in a field some distance away. "Booster Terrik and the _Errant Venture_ have graciously retrieved our younglings and children." Luke smiled. "Volunteers are shuttling them down now, so they may be witnesses to the extraordinary events that are to unfold here in the coming days, weeks, and months."

Formalities were observed; Luke and Harrar shook hands and spoke in low tones while the crowd dispersed into smaller, mingling groups. Kyp remained separated, observing and smiling wistfully at the unhurried, completely natural happiness that permeated the air.

Then the first speeder arrived from the shuttle pad.

Tahiri was driving it; Valin and Jysella Horn were in the back with another youngling Kyp did not know, and he watched Corran and Mirax Horn rush forward to take their children in their arms. Rather than turn around and ferry the next bunch, however, Tahiri jumped out of the speeder, eyes wide, and addressed a nearby group of Jedi including Zekk, Lowbacca, and Tesar Sebatyne; her words, however, carried far across the hushed wood.

"Jaina and Jag are coming in the next shuttle… they have a baby!"

Shock and wonder flooded the Force; Kyp closed his mind off and shut his eyes.

It certainly explained the extended absence since he'd seen her last after her knighting ceremony, the reason neither of them rejoined their old squadrons, the unannounced, sudden engagement that had caught her whole family by surprise…

Smiling sadly, Kyp turned to leave the clearing. He was vaguely aware that Luke was looking for him, but he brushed aside the other's concern with a touch of his mind and kept walking. There were still some things he wasn't quite ready to face.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

Fate wouldn't let him hide, however.

Lying flat on his back, as the last rays of golden sunlight filtered through the windows of the half-constructed, half-natural building that served as his small abode during his time on Zonama Sekot, a tap at the door frame jolted him from his self-pitying musings. He sighed.

"Go away, Master Skywalker," he called half-heartedly. "You can get into my head tomorrow all you want."

"Kyp." He sat up and turned so fast it nearly gave him whiplash. He stared, uncomprehendingly, at the diminutive, hooded and cloaked figure in his doorway, the stiff, somewhat tense man at her side with a large bundle in his arms.

His voice caught in his throat. "Jaina," he choked. "What… why are you here? The party's back that way," he pointed half-heartedly through the trees to the east.

"Kyp," her voice was soft, as though attempting to soothe him, "there's someone I want you to meet."

He attempted a dry smile. "Sorry, but I've already met Jag," he said weakly, eyeing the man with that damned swath of blankets in his arms. Jaina quirked a brow and seemed to fight against rolling her eyes. She turned to her fiancé- Kyp fought from scowling as he merely thought the word, and he mentally cursed these damned people for intruding on his misery, cursed Jaina for flaunting her happiness that, once, he had envisioned would be with _him_ and not some upstart whelp from the Unknown Regions… and then he let it go and sagged visibly, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. "What do you want, Jaina?"

When he opened his eyes again, she was carefully maneuvering the bundle from Jag's arms. His eyes narrowed slightly as she approached him- Jag drifted into the background a bit- but his curiosity could not be curtailed, and he peered down at the sleeping face framed by dark curls.

"Kyp," Jaina said slowly, "I want you to meet Leyla Solo."

She was beautiful; Kyp had to give her that. He smiled tightly. "Not Leyla Fel?" he asked, a little more snidely than he'd intended, but Jaina replied with a simple 'no.' The child stirred and yawned, and Kyp couldn't help but smile wistfully as her little pink tongue stuck out ever so slightly and her tiny little pearly teeth flashed in the dim light.

And then he frowned. The hair and the teeth… "How old is she?" Even wrapped up in blankets, it was obvious that little Leyla was older and bigger than Kyp had anticipated. Maybe Jaina had been more than a little pregnant when they met on Mon Calamari, perhaps she'd been masking it. The thought gave him a pang.

"Just over a year and a half," Jaina said softly. "Around twenty months." He looked up in confusion. "She's still a little small for her age," Jaina continued, voice low and raw with emotion, "but she's very strong in the Force… like her parents."

"You mean like her mother…"

And then it clicked.

"No." Kyp backed away in horror, knocking over a chair and making a horrendous racket that quickly woke Leyla the rest of the way. "No, no, no, no…"

"Kyp!"

"No…" Kyp muttered. "You can't… I… dear lord, what have I done?" he whispered. Backed completely in a corner, he leaned against the wall, gasping, eyes wide. Perhaps reacting to the earlier noise, or perhaps reacting to the distress in the Force, Leyla began crying softly. Jaina stroked her face for a moment before handing the mass of blanket and child back to Jag, who retreated to the doorway and set to work calming the unsettled baby.

"Take it back."

"_What?_"

"I just… you're happy with Jag, and I'm happy that you're happy, so if we just pretend that you never came here tonight, we can go back to how things were…"

"How were things, Kyp?" Jaina frowned. "I… I guess I thought…" she trailed off and sighed. "Never mind. I'm sorry. Uncle Luke thought you were ready, that you could handle it."

"Master Skywalker _knew_ about this?" he demanded, appalled. "Who else? Has the entire galaxy been conspiring against me as one big joke, to teach me a lesson for everything I've done wrong?"

She kept her voice low but fierce. "For your information," she hissed, "my uncle is the only person outside of this room who knows. My own parents and twin only found out an hour ago that I _have_ a child, and that was by accident. Cilghal will suspect her parentage, but won't know for sure; Kam and Tionne didn't even ask when we took Leyla to Shelter a month ago, they just assumed she was mine and Jag's!"

Kyp stared. "Perhaps it's for the best if you let that assumption persist."

Jaina met his gaze evenly before he broke it and turned away. "Kyp," she whispered, "please. I want you to try to understand."

"To understand what?" he demanded loudly. Leyla renewed her crying efforts, and Jag stepped outside with her; Jaina didn't bother telling him that it would do no good, that it was the high-emotions in the Force that were causing her distress. "To understand that my worst fears from more than a year ago have been confirmed, after I'd discounted them for so long, when no one ever said…? To understand that I hurt- I _violated_- the person in this galaxy whom I cared the most about, and now she's stuck with a child she didn't want…"

"Kyp!" He ceased his tirade and stared. "Look at me; look at that child. Do you think I don't want her? That I don't love her?"

"That's not the point!" he contested hotly. "You didn't ask for her, and I took away that choice in a deranged fit of possessive obsession."

"Yes," she agreed softly. "You did. And I hated you for it. I swore that I'd never forgive you, that I'd never forget, for the rest of my life, how you ruined it. And you know what happened?"

He shook his head, mute.

"My life wasn't ruined. I tried to run away from Jag; he wouldn't let me. He stayed by my side for months while I worked out my anger, frustration, my _hatred_… and then, the day I gave birth to another man's child, you know what he did? He proposed to me. He's stayed with me as we tried to balance our duties to the galaxy under siege, and to Leyla- who he loves as his own and would die for in a heartbeat.

"Did I ask for any of it? No. But the moment I saw my daughter, I knew I couldn't hate you forever. You did something terrible, yes, and you know that… but out of it, I have a beautiful baby girl and… I'd like her to know her father."

Kyp stared at her blankly for a long time. "That'll never work," he croaked.

Jaina's damp eyes met his and he felt his resolve waver- slightly. "Please, Kyp," she murmured. "You have a family now… don't turn it away. I forgave you when you didn't even ask it of me… surely you can do the same for yourself now?"

She approached him slowly and reached a hesitant hand out to touch his arm. When he didn't recoil, she was encouraged, and wrapped her arms around him lightly.

The dam broke. He pulled her into a fierce hug and buried his face in her hair, sobbing.

"I'm so sorry," he gasped, voice breaking. "I don't deserve any of it."

She pushed away and regarded him at arm's length. "You've fought tooth and nail to come back from the edge of darkness; you've defended millions in the galaxy and saved countless lives. You deserve a lot more than fate has handed you. But for now," she smiled gently, "why don't you come and meet your daughter."

It was like a dream as he followed her mutely out into the cool evening air. Jag was kneeling on the ground, an odd look for the usually strictly-postured pilot, and, removed from the bundle of blankets, Leyla stood in front of him and stared around at the forest surrounding the habitation, Jag's hands on her little waist to keep her steady, her small tunic dress blowing in the light breeze.

He couldn't move from the doorway as he saw her little eyes widen with wonder at a noise from some animal beyond the tree line. His breath caught in his throat when the girl turned to Jaina and said, "Mama!" and proceeded to babble at length in completely incomprehensible sounds. Jaina just smiled and picked her up.

"That's right," she murmured, during a break in the chatter.

Kyp frowned bemusedly at Jag who was standing and dusting off his pants. "Can you actually understand anything of that?"

"You kidding?"

He met Jag's eyes, hesitantly at first, but a smile touched the corners of the younger man's lips and he nodded encouragingly. Kyp approached Jaina who was still listening to Leyla tell some completely unintelligible story about what she'd heard or seen in the forest.

Jaina interrupted her daughter gently. "Leyla," she said softly, turning sideways so that the child balanced on her hip was facing him, "this is Kyp. Can you say 'Kyp'?"

She gurgled.

"That's right," Jaina said. "Kyp."

"That sounded nothing like Kyp," he couldn't refrain from pointing out.

"Shut up, Durron," Jaina said pleasantly. "Hold your daughter."

So he did. They looked into each other's faces for a full minute, and Kyp took in her soft, brown eyes and her dark hair, a few shades deeper brown than Jaina's, that hung in soft curls around her face. "Hi, Leyla," he whispered softly, "I'm Kyp." She made an indistinguishable sound. "Yep," he said, "Kyp." He was vaguely aware of Jag laughing quietly in the background, but he didn't care.

Tentatively, he reached out for her in the Force and found her own untrained but instinctive tendrils of curiosity extending towards him. He gasped at the contact and opened himself up more fully, and the girl giggled and babbled in response.

In that moment, he understood Jaina's interpretations of the inane ramblings as he felt raw sensation and emotion in the Force that accompanied every sound and movement. He almost felt bad for Jag, knowing that the other would never be able to communicate on this level with the child, even when she developed her speech abilities better… but then, he thought, maybe he could afford to be selfish. Kyp would never know about the first year and a half of his daughter's life; would never see that first step, hear the first word; would never raise her like a true parent… but _this_… this was something they would share forever, from any distance.

Leyla stared into his eyes and reached out a small hand and pressed it to Kyp's cheek.

His heart melted.

**End Part VII**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: Recognizable material STILL belongs to LucasFilms & co…

**Part VIII**

_Earlier That Night_

Han and Leia had volunteered to oversee the transportation of the younglings from the _Errant Venture_ to the surface of Zonama Sekot. Aboard the Star Destroyer, there was something akin to chaos.

Children of dozens of species were excitedly milling about, looking for friends, talking loudly, excited to finally be free of their lengthy exile in the Maw and aboard the big red ship. Parents and friends were looking for particular children, and the Kam and Tionne were attempting to simultaneously keep watch over the youngest of them and organize them into groups to ferry down to the planet.

Leia smiled in relief at Mara who approached from the hangar area, and handed Ben over to her. The happiness and contentment on Mara's face were contagious, though it briefly gave Leia a pang as she thought about her youngest, Anakin.

She forgot the sadness though as she watched her son Jacen dash after a small bothan child.

The chaos slowly diminished as the adults got their respective groups of children organized and began leading them to the hangar and the proper shuttles. Iella Antilles took her daughters, Syal and Myri, to the _Falcon_ along with a young twi'lek female and the bothan Jacen had been chasing, where they would await the Solos who ensured no one was left behind.

Someone was though.

"Kam?" Leia asked amusedly. "You forgot one."

Indeed, the Jedi master had a sleeping child wrapped up in blankets in his arms; in fact, Leia couldn't recall having seen him put the child _down_ the entire time he'd been running around after the rest of the younglings.

His eyes widened a fraction before he grinned. "Special delivery instructions on this one," he said wryly.

Leia walked over and smiled down at the sleeping girl. "She's beautiful. Who is she?" she asked curiously. "I don't remember seeing her when we were last at Shelter to visit Ben."

Kam was inexplicably tongue-tied. "Ah- well, she was only brought to us about a month ago…" the rest of his stilting response was cut off by the sound of fast approaching footsteps.

"I'm sorry, Master Solusar," a familiar voice called. "We had to put our fighters in the next hangar while they got everyone situated in this one…"

Leia and Han turned in surprise to see Jaina and Jag hurrying down the corridor. "Hey, honey," Han called out, "you're a bit late, we seem to have everyone under control."

Jaina stopped dead. She stared back and forth between her parents and Kam until Jag put a comforting hand on her shoulder and strode toward the Jedi master.

And then Leia realized that she wasn't looking at the Jedi master at all; rather, she was looking at the sleeping child in his arms. "Jaina?" she asked breathlessly. Han and Jacen seemed a little slower on the uptake, but a soft cooing noise drew everyone's attention to the child who had passed from Kam to Jag, who was drinking in her appearance and stroking her soft curls lovingly.

Han was spluttering. "Wha- you mean…? Jaina? Jag?"

The little girl in Jag's arms was awake; she began to wriggle and fuss, and Jaina drew her almost reluctantly into her arms and calmed her. Still staring at her parents and brother, she worried her lower lip. "I didn't think you'd still be here," she confessed. "We'd planned on telling you everything tomorrow."

"Oh," Jacen looked pale. "Right. Tomorrow."

Jaina sighed and walked towards her family slowly, as though afraid she'd frighten them away. "Mom, dad… Jacen. This is Leyla."

The three Solos stared silently at the wide-eyed little girl. Jaina wasn't sure whether to be more concerned about someone yelling or fainting.

And then Leyla giggled.

Jacen laughed delightedly and leaned over to tickle her belly. The baby stopped laughing and eyed him with an almost suspicious expression, and even Han chuckled. Jacen drew Jaina into an awkward hug as best he could with her arms full. "She's great, sis. I can't wait to hear all about her tomorrow."

And the spell was broken. Leia hugged her daughter and softly touched her granddaughter's cheek; Han slapped Jag on the back- perhaps just a _bit_ too hard, but Jag did a good job of not wincing too noticeably.

"Whenever you're ready," Kam broke in a bit awkwardly, "the second shuttle has room for you," he directed towards Jaina and Jag. "Tionne is waiting."

Jaina nodded and spoke haltingly to her family. "Jag and I have some things to take care of tonight…"

"It's alright, sweetie," Leia said softly. "Come see us in the morning, okay?"

And so she followed Kam to the waiting shuttle, while last stragglers were still clambering aboard the others ships. She saw Valin Horn scramble aboard the next craft over after giving her and Jag a piercingly inquisitive look.

Her parents and Jacen broke off to join Iella Antilles aboard the _Falcon_ and Jag helped her aboard the indicated shuttle, piloted by Tionne. They'd retrieve their X-wing and clawcraft later. "Shuttle Gee-Ex-Four has completely boarded," Tionne called in her soft tones over the holocomm. "Standing by." Jaina and Jag took up the two empty seats, and Jag took Leyla as Jaina fastened her crash webbing.

A wry voice sounded over Jaina's shoulder. "You two are just full of surprises, aren't you?" Jaina turned to see her aunt's calculating expression eyeing the half-awake child in Jag's lap. "I can't wait to hear this."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

"Well," Mara Skywalker stretched out on the bed, watching Luke undress the exhausted toddler and wrestle him into a sleep shirt. "That was certainly unexpected."

"Hm?" he asked distractedly, kissing his son's head and carrying him to the bed.

Mara stared. "Your niece? Jaina? Has a daughter. Has _had_ a daughter for a year and a half and never told anyone."

"She told Jag."

"Haha, farmboy, real funny." Mara stopped and considered him shrewdly. "You know… you don't seem all too surprised by this, now that I think about it…" He just met her gaze evenly, brows quirked; he knew she'd realize eventually, there was no sense trying to hide it. "You knew, didn't you?"

Sighing heavily, he laid down beside her. "Yes."

Her eyes narrowed. "And just out of curiosity… and no offense… but how is it that she tells her uncle that she had a baby and never bothered to mention it to her parents, her twin…?"

"Her aunt under whom she apprenticed?" Luke asked slyly.

"Well, yes," Mara snapped, "I did think I ranked higher up the confidante chain than you."

Luke shrugged. "It wasn't planned; it just happened that way. Besides," he thought, "I was never so much a _confidante_ as just someone who was… distantly aware of what was going on."

"Huh," she huffed, pulling her sleeping son's form more snuggly against her own. "Twenty months… she would have been born just before Jacen escaped, wasn't she?"

"Eh, about six weeks or so before, yeah."

Something in his tone caught Mara's attention and her eyes narrowed once more. "Six weeks. You remember that?" He nodded, sensing a trap but not quite sure where it was. "So you were aware of when she was _giving birth_ and weren't… surprised? Didn't find it strange that your niece who had run off… what? Seven months prior?... was pregnant…"

Her voice faded away and he sensed a cold calculation go to work in her head. "Mara…" he said warningly. She held up a hand.

After a minute, she turned slowly to him. "I'm going to kill him."

"Mara…"

"Don't you 'Mara' me! I knew something was off about this! The timing, it's too perfect to be coincidental… that night, when she'd been in the infirmary… and you never told me? He'd been living with us…"

"Mara, please. Jaina's asked her whole family together in the morning, let's save the speculation until then. Besides," he added, "you can't kill him tonight anyway."

"Why's that?"

He gave a half-smile. "You should reach out in the Force and feel how happy and awestruck he is. Jaina and Jag have just introduced him to Leyla; he didn't know about her either."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_The Next Morning_

Jaina sat nervously in her parents' dwelling and eyed her family who had gathered. Han and Leia sat together holding hands on the small bench that served as a sofa of sorts, Mara occupied a chair by the table in the corner, and Jacen sat on the floor, eyeing her serenely. There was a general air of trepidation with a tinge of confusion.

"Where's the VIP of this event?" Jacen asked.

Jaina spoke haltingly. "It seemed… best… if I told you all a few things first. And Leyla's a bit sensitive to high emotions, so I thought it best if I had Jag occupy her elsewhere for a bit."

"Where's Luke?" Leia frowned.

"He, ah- he's with Jag. And Ben."

Han eyed Mara who was gazing steadily at her niece. "Shouldn't we wait for him?"

She winced almost imperceptibly. "It's alright; he knows everything I'm about to tell you." Jacen's brows shot up and Leia frowned. "Maybe I should just…"

"Go ahead, sweetheart," Leia said softly. "We know the big news," she smiled encouragingly, "what else can there be to worry about?"

Jaina sucked in a deep breath and sighed heavily, forgetting every way she had carefully rehearsed this. "When Leyla was born, Jag offered that we name her Leyla Fel. I refused," she saw Han blink in surprise; perhaps he'd already assumed the child had Jag's last name. "I didn't refuse because we weren't married, I refused because…" she looked down and spoke quietly, "Jag is not her father."

A ten second silence greeted this statement. Finally, Jacen broke it with a half-joking question. "Does Jag know that?"

Jaina laughed weakly and the tension seemed to lesson a little.

"He does," she shot Jacen a dirty look. "And it was his decision to come after me when I left the _Mon Mothma_ more than two years ago; I ran from him because I didn't want to put him in such a situation, but he didn't care. I, uh… accidentally told Uncle Luke that he could explain _everything_ to Jag, and, when he did, Jag resigned from Twin Suns and transferred to the _Ralroost_ in the blink of an eye to be with me. I owe him a lot."

"Honey," Leia said sadly, "if Jag isn't the father…?" she let the question they were all thinking hang in the air.

She smiled half-heartedly. "I'm getting there. It will be… difficult… to hear what I have to tell you, but I need you all to keep an open mind; for me and for Leyla." Everyone nodded and she felt the curiosity in them peak. "Leyla's… conception," she cringed as Jacen and Han went red, "was not an act of my choosing and it occurred very much under the influence of the dark side. It happened a month after Jag and I began dating, and it was not an act in which I was… a willing participant." The faces in the room went from red to white. "I think you all understand me."

"Oh, sweetheart," Leia whispered, "why didn't you tell us…?"

"I couldn't. It was too painful for me, when I realized what… what had happened. I couldn't bear the betrayal I felt over the actions of someone who… someone I once loved and who loved me." Jacen stared at her blankly, but Han and Leia looked like they were beginning to piece together the truth and the timing, and understanding what had truly transpired the night before they found her comatose…

She took the plunge. "Kyp is Leyla's father."

Jacen coughed in alarm, Han looked like he couldn't quite fathom his own anger, Leia looked sadly resigned and Mara… Mara was curiously impassive.

"I know you all probably want nothing more right now than to dump Kyp out the _Falcon_'s escape-hatch mid-hyperspace jump," she continued sadly. "But it's very important that you understand a few things, not least of all how heavily influenced by the dark side Kyp was at the time. When I first realized I was pregnant, I hated Kyp. I vowed never to forgive him, and I made my plans to get myself and… my unborn child… as far away as I could. The possibility that Kyp would escape, unredeemed, still in the thralls of the dark side- the risk was too great and I knew he could never know that I was carrying his child while he was still unstable. I left, and only Uncle Luke- who knew because it was he and Cilghal who had pieced together what happened while I was unconscious- he alone knew the truth of the matter.

"I asked him to explain to Jag once I was gone; he did, and Jag came after me. But even knowing that people would assume Jag was the father, I still hid the pregnancy; the Yuuzhan Vong were still determined to find me, and the last thing I wanted was for people to start using my child, born or unborn, to get at me. When the time approached, we took an indefinite leave and went to Csilla where we would be hidden from the Vong. Jag's mother arranged everything so we could be discreet and comfortable. A week later, I gave birth to Leyla, a few weeks early, but healthy. For almost two months, we stayed on Csilla while Jag worked with rookie pilots in flight simulators- and then Uncle Luke managed to get word to me about Jacen."

She sighed heavily. "I knew I had to go see him, and Uncle Luke told me his plans for the knighting ceremony; but I was stuck. The knowledge that I might end up facing Kyp again… but then it clicked into place."

"What did?" Mara frowned.

Jaina looked down at her hands folded in her lap and fought for words. "It's hard to explain how it felt… but looking at Leyla, a part of me softened towards Kyp. His betrayal still stung, but the edge faded after so many months of hating him. I realized that, as much as I loved Jag and our new daughter- and Jag _has_ always considered Leyla his own- something would be missing if I could never get over my own anger. Leyla is so… perfect. I just couldn't understand how something so wonderful could come from somewhere so dark, so hurtful. And I knew I'd have to forgive Kyp or else everything about Leyla would be tainted by my refusal to let go of the anger, my bitterness towards her biological father.

"So I went to Mon Calamari. And on the day of the ceremony, I went to Kyp, who was doing everything in his power to avoid me. I had to know. Uncle Luke said he had changed, was doing better, but I needed to see it, to _sense_ it for myself. And when I cornered him, his remorse, regret… it was heart-wrenching to be near him. The dark side had been chipped away and left behind was a man who could barely tolerate his own self. So I did the only thing I could at the time to help him- I forgave him."

She could tell by Han's expression that he found this unwise. She ignored him.

"There was never the question of telling him about Leyla; he was obviously still too raw to handle hearing about the consequences of his actions when he snuck aboard the _Mon Mothma_. But when I left, I knew that someday I'd be able to tell Kyp the truth and that eventually, Leyla would understand everything as well, when she was old enough.

"As the war drew to a close, Jag and I knew we couldn't sit idly by; we discreetly secreted Leyla to Kam and Tionne on our way to prepare for the final fight over Coruscant. And since we've been back among you all, I've spoken to Uncle Luke and… well, he thought it was time, that Kyp was ready to handle the full truth. So we told him last night. He's… taking it well."

Jaina fell silent, voice hoarse, as her family took in this story.

Leia finally broke the silence. "You're amazingly strong, Jaina," she said seriously. "To go through all of that, nearly alone…"

"I'd never have been able to do it without Jag," she replied softly. "I never dreamed that he could be so understanding, but the things he's put up with in the past two years…" Jaina hesitated. "We were ah… thinking about getting married at the end of the conclave," she said quietly.

Jacen laughed. Han started and grumbled, "Well, you've already got the kid, you may as well spring it all on a poor father at once…"

**End Part VIII**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: Sadly… still not mine. :-(

**Part IX**

Luke kept his attention carefully divided; to his left, his son Ben and Jaina's daughter Leyla were playing, in a manner of speaking. Ben was digging in the soft dirt with a stick; Leyla seemed more intrigued by the older boy than anything else, and Luke wondered if she couldn't, somehow, sense that they were related. Or perhaps they had played together at Shelter without even realizing their connection.

To his right, strolling among the trees, Kyp Durron and Jagged Fel were side by side, heads down and hands clasped behind their backs as they conversed in low tones- as they had been doing already for a half-hour.

He sensed a wariness between them, but couldn't decide if it came more strongly from Kyp or Jag. He had spoken ever so briefly alone with Kyp that morning, a short conversation but enough of one to know that the Jedi master was torn between joy, awe, and terror at the way his life and flipped upside down in the past twelve hours.

Jag, on the other hand… he was harder to read, and he kept his emotions close to his chest… but Luke believed that, in the case of Kyp at least, he trusted Jaina's judgment implicitly; he certainly was giving the older man the benefit of the doubt that many in his situation would not even consider.

For better or worse though, these two young men were now connected in a way that would be difficult to break. They had a common bond through Leyla and, to a certain, more complicated extent, through Jaina.

Luke turned back to the two children. Despite having been aware of Jaina's pregnancy, he had not met the child until this very morning. It was easy to see, though, how Kyp had been won over so quickly. Leyla was enchanting in that wide-eyed, innocent way as the nearly two-year-old explored her new environment physically and somewhat through the Force.

Jaina had been right; Leyla would grow up and uncover an extraordinary amount of potential in the Force.

Another few minutes passed in the tranquil calm of the morning on Zonama Sekot before Jag and Kyp headed back to the clearing next to the small abode Jaina, Jag, and Leyla would share while on the planet. Luke smiled gently and looked back towards the children; Ben was now sitting beside Leyla and tousling one of her dark curls in his finger curiously.

"Kit." All eyes turned towards Leyla, who had been mostly quiet through the morning. "Kit," she repeated, looking up and around, squinting against the sunlight pouring through the trees. Clumsily, she pulled herself to her feet and tottered towards Kyp on little, unbalanced legs. "Kit," she repeated, more adamantly now.

Luke tried to suppress a grin at the dumbfounded look on Kyp's face. "I think it's you she's after," he stage-whispered to him.

Hesitantly, Kyp took her little hand in his and she began to babble much as she had last night. Smiling indulgently, Kyp took up a seat on the ground near Ben and Leyla plopped in front of him and began picking up leaves and small rocks and offering them to him. He accepted them, confused, and looked to Jag for clarification.

"She's a bit of a collector," Jag smirked lightly. "You'll have a pocketful of things in no time that you can't remember how they got there."

"Kit!"

Kyp turned his attention back towards the girl and stared. "Kyp?" he asked slowly. She smiled broadly and began chattering away again, and this time, Luke could not stop the wide grin spreading across his face. Leyla climbed into Kyp's lap and once again pressed a small hand against his cheek as she rested her head against his chest.

Words failed all three of the men at the tender, innocent sight before them.

The reverie was broken when Leyla jumped up suddenly and scrambled from Kyp's grasp. She stumbled once and was steadied by Luke. She reached out and wrapped her hand around two of Jag's fingers and pulled ineffectually. "Dada," she insisted, turning towards the wooded area, "mama."

Jag turned and smiled, seeing Jaina approaching with her parents, brother, and aunt. "She seems to understand that she can sense Jaina in a way that I can't," he explained to Luke and Kyp. He briefly looked a little unsettled. "Honestly, I didn't realize that the Force-abilities could manifest so early and so… obviously. Nor did Jaina."

Luke shrugged. "All children are different, but it's true that Leyla is… unusually strong already."

The group made their way to the small clearing where the men and children were keeping busy. Kyp felt a wave of apprehension wash over him at the thought of where the coming scene could go. Jag had told him in no uncertain terms that Jaina was going to make sure her family understood everything necessary about who Leyla was, how she'd come to be, and why she'd been kept so secret.

But then again, he'd also told him that he and Jaina had no interest in seeing him murdered by the Solo men so maybe there was hope for his survival today after all.

He hovered in the background with Luke while Jag took Leyla to give her a more formal introduction to the family she had only briefly encountered the prior night. Like everyone else, the Solos and Mara were smitten with Leyla immediately and she was passed around, but seemed too impatient to spend more than a couple of minutes with any one of them.

Kyp felt the briefest of pangs watching Jag stand there with _his_ daughter, but he suppressed it quickly. Regardless of how things could have happened otherwise, it still would never have been him there with Jaina; he'd sacrificed the possibility of any further relationship with her the day he'd put his own arrogant assumptions ahead of her conscience and destroyed a worldship, condemning thousands of Vong civilians to death.

He started as he felt the smallest of touches against his mind. Frowning, he turned towards Luke, but the older man was preoccupied with Ben.

"Kit!" He turned in surprise to see Leyla wriggling out of Han's arms. She hit the ground and strode purposefully towards him on her short little legs and, stopping a few feet in front, held out her arms to him. Bemusedly, he picked her up, aware that every eye, save Ben's, was on him right now. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared seriously into his face. "Kit sad?" she asked. Kyp thought his heart would beat straight out of his chest.

Leyla had sensed his brief melancholy; the touch had been hers.

Biting his lip to keep from laughing, crying, or both, Kyp hugged her close to him and rubbed her back absently as she tucked her head against his neck. "No sweetheart," he murmured. "Kyp isn't sad. Kyp is very, very happy."

After a minute, he looked up and saw Jaina smiling, with a hand pressed to her mouth. Leia walked over to him and leaned in close, hugging him from the side opposite where Leyla was resting contentedly. "You have a beautiful daughter, Kyp," she murmured softly. "And I'm proud to be her grandmother."

"Thank you, Leia," he whispered thickly, but his gaze was drawn to Han, who seemed to be regarding him with an air of grim indecision. Sensing that it might be best to hand off the child in his arms, he slid her into Leia's grasp and stood there, resigned and vulnerable, as Han measured him up and down.

Making up his mind, Han strode quickly forward. "Ah, what the hell," he muttered, clasping his shoulder. "Congratulations, kid; it's good to see you actually happy again."

"Kyp," Jacen said seriously, pulling him slightly to the side, "I was very glad to see that you'd overcome the dark side when I was free of Vong imprisonment. Having said that…" he glanced back at his nervous sister and keen-eyed aunt, "I think I speak for Aunt Mara as well here- if you slip again and put my sister through that… in fact, if you _ever_ do anything to hurt her or my niece… I won't hesitate to hunt you down." His tone changed abruptly. "Welcome to the family," he said more loudly and pleasantly, and then turned in mild confusion towards Jag. "Er… sort of."

**End Part IX**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: Sadly… still not mine. :-(

**Part X**

Three weeks after learning that he had a daughter, Kyp Durron watched his daughter's mother get married.

There had been a time when that sight, that very idea, would have sent him into a violent jealousy. Now though… perhaps it made him slightly wistful, but he was legitimately happy for Jaina and her husband-to-be. Besides- he got to take part in the ceremony- and he wouldn't have traded his role for anything.

It was held outdoors, in the same large clearing where Luke had opened the conclave three weeks prior. Seating had been brought in- the strange, largely organic construction that characterized most things on Zonama Sekot- and several people attended. The Jedi were by far the largest group represented, but some family friends had stayed around for the joyous occasion, and Jag's parents and younger sister had arrived a few nights prior from the Unknown Regions.

Luke officiated, at the couple's insistence, and Jacen took up the customary role of the groom's aide, mainly to ensure that the rings were where they needed to be- and not to mention Jag himself.

Han would of course give away his daughter, but Jaina felt that Leyla should participate in the ceremony as well; she had suggested that Leia bring her granddaughter in advance of Jaina and Han, and Leyla could throw blossoms of a native tree while Leia used the Force to scatter them festively. Leia, in turn, suggested she relegate the role to Kyp instead.

And so it was that a deliriously happy Leyla rode on Kyp's shoulders, tossing lavender, pink, and orange blossoms in the air around her. Kyp used the Force to whip up a gentle wind that sent them over the audience, and then with a nudge, they burst, releasing dozens of smaller flowers and seeds within that rained down over everyone's heads.

Kyp had a feeling that he'd be washing petals out of his hair for days.

Once the spontaneous decoration had been accomplished and the crowd's laughter and appreciate chatter died down, Kyp took a seat beside Leia and slid Leyla off his shoulders and down into his lap where she turned and attentively awaited her mother. They didn't have to wait long.

She was beautiful; more beautiful than Kyp could ever remember seeing Jaina, who more often than not, was dressed for combat in a flight suit, or wearing coveralls while she tinkered with her fighter or other mechanical devices. Now though, as she seemed to glide through the trees to the clearing, hand tucked through Han's arm…

Her dress must have been made on Zonama Sekot, Kyp thought; it was too fluid to be simple fabric, and the deep green tone with golden detailing around the neckline, waist, and sleeves seemed too natural, and fit perfectly in the wooded setting around them. Offsetting the subdued color scheme, Tahiri Veila had woven more of the same colorful flowers through Jaina's hair, which hung long down her back. As she moved, the dress seemed to shimmer and flow around her as it trailed through the grass at her feet.

Kyp was startled by Leia squeezing his hand briefly and he flushed, realizing just how entranced he had become by the sight.

Han gave Jaina over to Jag and- a little reluctantly perhaps- went to sit on Leia's other side.

Luke spoke softly, voice light-hearted but serious at the same time. "Today we all join the Solos and the Fels, the Antilles and Skywalkers, who come together to see the union of their kin. As I look out over the faces of so many of you who wish to share in this joyous occasion, I am reminded of the importance of recent events in allowing today's celebration to take place.

"This day will forever be symbolic in the memory of all those here, as we remember that, only a few short weeks ago, our galaxy was torn apart by strife. It will be a reminder that, out of years of hardship and pain, something good and new may arise. We are all able to be here today because of our love for peace and security but- most importantly- because of our love for each other.

"Bonds are tested; friendships shaken; but out of these trials, we gain the strength to forge something better, something stronger, that will withstand the tests of duty and time. Each of us has come out of the fire a different person- hopefully a better person. And today, Jaina Solo and Jagged Fel demonstrate to us all the power of faith, endurance, hope, and- most of all, love- in overcoming the trials and obstacles that might seek to tear us asunder.

"We all face times of great difficulty, but must remember that life goes on; what better example can we find of this than the presence of a new being among our number? Jaina and Jagged have humbled us all by proving that, out of dark and dangerous times, beauty and wonder can exist. Indeed, in the short time we have been here, many of you have opened your hearts to Leyla, who reminds us that war has not stripped us of our innocence."

Perhaps sensing an increased amount of attention on her, Leyla turned around in an uncharacteristic fit of shyness and buried her face in Kyp's robes.

"And so it is my honor today to bring together a couple that have withstood the trials laid before them and come through stronger than ever before."

Leyla watched in fascination as rings and vows were exchanged; Kyp heard Leia sniff once or twice, but it was Han whose eyes were red when he looked over. The older man scowled though when, upon receiving permission from Luke, Jag pulled Jaina into a deep and passionate kiss that left her a little glassy-eyed. Standing slightly to the side of the plinth where the ceremony was taking place, Jacen smirked and turned away, shaking his head slightly.

And just like that, Jaina Solo became Jaina Solo-Fel.

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

Somebody slid into the vacant seat next to Kyp; he didn't need to look to know that it was Corran Horn, but he looked anyway. The older Jedi was looking at the small gathering of Jaina, Jag, Leyla, Jag's family, and the Solos, and Kyp followed his gaze.

"She's beautiful," Corran murmured lowly.

Kyp nodded absently as he watched Jacen twirl Leyla around in the air while she giggled infectiously. He wrenched his gaze back towards Jaina. "She is," he agreed. "Jag is… a lucky man."

"Yes, Jag is," Corran said quietly. "But I wasn't talking about Jaina; I was talking about your daughter."

It took a moment for the import of Corran's words to sink in, and when they did, Kyp turned to him sharply, automatically scanning to see if anyone else was in earshot. They were alone.

"Relax," Corran murmured. "I'm not a complete imbecile."

Kyp swallowed thickly. "How did you know?"

Corran shrugged. "Observation; intuition; logic. Skepticism that someone like Jagged Fel would be so careless so early in a relationship and in the middle of a war." Kyp shot him a look. Corran smirked. "Along with my capabilities in the Force, I also happen to be a passable arithmetician- besides," he added, "she has your eyes." He quickly frowned. "I must say though, I'm impressed that you managed to keep it so quiet for this long."

He almost laughed. "Not hard to do when you're just as out of the loop as everyone else." Corran looked at him, confused. "Oh, come off it, Horn," he huffed. "You think Jaina was going to tell me she was pregnant while I was still cowering in the Skywalker's apartment, afraid to even use the Force for fear of letting the dark side creep back in?"

"She told you on Mon Calamari then?"

Kyp stared. And then he laughed. "Corran, I don't think you understand how serious I was about 'out of the loop.' They weren't taking any chances. I found out about Leyla three weeks ago with everyone else. Learning that she was _my_ daughter and not Jag's was an added bonus an hour later."

Corran goggled at him. "Oh Force, Kyp… I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"

Kyp waved him off. "Don't worry about it."

"It's just… you seem so close with her already, I just assumed…"

He struggled to articulate his thoughts. "When Valin and Jysella were born, did you get the sense that they _knew_ you instinctively, that the Force intuited for them that you were someone safe?" Corran nodded. "It was like that with Leyla… it's almost like she knows that I'm someone she's supposed to know and be close to, even though she can't possibly know that I'm really her father." A shadow passed over his face. "Jaina wants her to know who I am."

"You don't?"

"I…" he sighed. "It's not that I don't… I adore Leyla, I have from the night I met her. But she's too young to understand now, and the older she gets, the further I lose the bond that she and I could have. If I sacrifice that though… if I let Leyla grow up knowing the only father she already does… well, she'll be more stable, and I can be a distant but benevolent uncle or some such."

Corran studied him skeptically for a minute or two. "You really don't think you deserve any happiness in this life, do you?"

Kyp scowled and looked off into the distance, supremely annoyed. He felt the already familiar touch of Leyla, accustomed to picking out his emotions, even in the crowded setting. Doing his best to quickly reassure her, he closed himself away from the Force so as to not ruin the mood of the happy family.

Leyla started crying. Instinctively, he looked for her and sat back again, seeing her picked up and comforted by Jag. He turned back to Corran.

"I've done some bad things in this galaxy, Corran," he murmured quietly. "We all know that. I love Leyla; I'm honored beyond imagining that Jaina even bothered to include me in her life. But it would be selfish of me to complicate things for them. I loved Jaina once, but Leyla is not the result of a loving relationship, she's here because of my deceit, my obsession… and beyond all odds, she's still growing up in a loving family. Jaina and Jag may say they don't care, that as long as I'm free of the dark side, they bear no ill will… but happiness for _me_ would be to stop screwing with other people's lives, and to let a new and happy family be happy without complication."

Corran just stared at him, either piteous or appalled, it was hard to say. Before he could respond or walk away, a shadow fell over the pair and they looked up to see Jag approaching with a still-distraught Leyla burying her face against his shoulder.

"See," Jag was murmuring to the girl, turning and trying to get her to look up. "Kyp didn't go anywhere, he's right here."

"Kit gone, dada" Leyla insisted, voice thick through her own tears and against Jag's shirt.

Jag looked at Kyp, lost. "Leyla, sweetie… look." She finally extracted her tear-stained face and stared forlornly down at the perplexed Jedi master. "See?"

She shook her head and sniffled. "No _all_ Kit."

"What?" Jag just stared at the girl who was muttering in incomprehensible babbles.

Kyp looked at her confused for another moment before flushing guiltily. Slowly, he re-expanded his awareness and presence in the Force, which he had drawn in close around him during the argument with Corran. When he lightly touched Leyla's mind, she abruptly stopped crying and began struggling in Jag's arms until he put her down on the ground.

She latched onto Kyp's leg until he pulled her up in his lap. She snuggled down against him in the crook of his arm and murmured, "Kit," happily.

"Kyp."

"Kit."

"_Kyp."_

"Kit!"

"Okay."

Looking like he wasn't sure whether to ask, Jag remained, staring bemusedly at them. "Sorry," Kyp truly was. "That was my fault."

"Actually," Corran stood, "it was mine." He turned his attention to Jag. "I was antagonizing Durron here and he didn't want to ruin your party by broadcasting to every Jedi how annoyed he was. Leyla must have felt the sudden disappearance of her new friend in the Force."

Jag nodded slowly in understanding. He and Corran turned to rejoin the party, leaving a drowsy Leyla in Kyp's willing care, but Corran turned back to him and whispered softly.

"Tell yourself what you will, Kyp, but she's not letting you go anywhere without a fight."

**End Part X**

**A/N:** Last part will be up tomorrow sometime!

Cheers!

*~Lexi~*


	11. Epilogue

**Disclaimer**: Doesn't belong to me, as much as I'd like to keep Kyp. :-)

**Epilogue**

The walk back from the shuttle pad was a quiet, reflective one for Kyp. People were slowly departing Zonama Sekot, and the planet was preparing itself for the increasing influx of Yuuzhan Vong survivors who would make it their home.

To aid in the transition, some of their number were remaining behind, like the scientist Danni Quee, and Tahiri Veila, whose experiences at the hands of the Shapers had given her an unwanted, but valuable insight into the alien culture. Most were moving on, however. The Antilles had departed the day prior at the same time as the Fels, and most recently, the Horns had shuttled up to join Mirax's father aboard the _Errant Venture_ while they re-pieced together their lives.

Kyp was at a bit of a loss.

Soon, Luke, Mara, and Ben would join Kam and Tionne Solusar in the quest to establish a new Jedi academy; Han and Leia Solo would help begin the reconstruction process on Coruscant; Kyp would…

He had no idea.

Corran's words had been reverberating around his head since the wedding. _Tell yourself what you will, Kyp, but she's not letting you go anywhere without a fight._ But he couldn't stay on Zonama Sekot much longer, and nor would Jaina and Jag. They undoubtedly had their duties planned, maybe they were even going back to Csilla- the thought made Kyp much more nervous than he would have liked to admit.

When the war started more than four years ago, Kyp had his own independent, volunteer squadron that fought to keep trade routes safe and honest primarily. That squadron was gone, the pilots dead in the fight against the alien invaders.

Help would be needed on thousands of planets around the galaxy, and he imagined that Luke would encourage the Jedi to volunteer their efforts towards the rebuilding efforts wherever and whenever they could. Many would go to their home planets.

Kyp had no home. His homeworld had been largely destroyed by the Empire… but only after he was shipped away at the age of eight to work in spice mines until he was a teenager and rescued by Han Solo and Chewbacca. Family dead- one at his own hand, no less- there was nothing left for him on Deyer.

His next home had been the training academy on Yavin IV. That was gone now too, the temples flattened, the planet terraformed in the image of the long lost Yuuzhan'tar. The Jedi would not go back.

His ponderings were interrupted. He tensed as he felt, more than heard, the soft footsteps approaching. "Jaina," he acknowledged when she was a couple of meters behind him. Wordlessly, she joined him and matched his pace, and they quietly continued their trek under the sun-bathed Sekotan trees. It wasn't until they neared his abode, a quarter-hour later, that she spoke.

"Kyp, we need to talk."

He shot her a wry look. "I thought only Jag had the honor of hearing that dreaded phrase from now on." She smacked his arm and he smiled lightly, but stopped walking and turned to her. "What is it?"

"Are you leaving?" she demanded. He stared- they were all leaving, except the select few who were working on integration. Something of his confusion must have shown on his face and in his thoughts, because Jaina flushed. "I mean- of course you're leaving. But I want to know if I'm going to wake up one morning and find that you're gone without a word."

"Am I running away, you mean?"

"Yes."

For a long moment, he regarded her thoughtfully. "You've run away- twice," he pointed out carefully. "It didn't work out so poorly for you either time."

"That's not an answer."

He sighed and spun quickly, frustrated. "What do you want from me?"

"I… I don't know." He turned back again in surprise at her soft, nervous tone. "I guess… just to know that you'll stay in touch."

"I'll stay in touch."

The response only served to frustrate her more. "Kyp, you really aren't going to do anything to make this easy on me, are you?"

They stared at one another in stony silence for a full minute. "Jaina," Kyp said softly, "_what do you want from me_?" Her eyes widened and she froze. Kyp cursed mentally. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I just… I'm still trying to understand…"

"I never thought this would be so hard," she whispered. He stopped and eyed her curiously. "I knew a year and a half ago that I wanted you to know Leyla, but I never imagined that you'd run from her too."

"Don't," he said harshly. "That isn't fair, and you know it. Whatever you've spent eighteen months envisioning, I've still only had _three_ weeks to adjust to this. For most men, that isn't enough time to prepare to be a father, let alone find themselves suddenly thrust in the role." She opened her mouth and he cut her off. "No, I don't blame you for doing what you did and when you did it. But you have to see this from my side- I have a daughter who isn't even an infant anymore… a daughter who walks and talks, and knows me in the Force, purely by instinct. A beautiful daughter who I love more than anything else I've ever loved in my life and that _terrifies_ me."

"Oh, Kyp," Jaina murmured sadly, eyes red. "I'm sorry; you're right. Expecting this to be easy was… a lot to ask. I guess I just didn't imagine that Leyla would take to you so quickly, that you would have more time before she was suddenly…"

"Completely attached?"

She sighed. "Yes."

"I thought so too," he admitted. "And the only thing more frightening to me than the intensity of my love for that child is the idea of disappointing her. You can understand that, can't you? I've disappointed you enough times." It was said jokingly, but they both knew he meant it entirely seriously.

A small, slightly sad smile touched the corners of her lips. "Yes, I understand. I won't pressure you about anything. But I'll tell you this: Jag and I are going to Coruscant," Kyp blinked in surprise. "The Chiss have asked him to take up a diplomatic liaison position, at least for the duration of the reconstruction period while the galaxy gets back on its feet. He'll do that, and I'll help coordinate Jedi assistance where it's most needed."

"So…" he studied her carefully. "You're saying… what? That I should go to Coruscant? That I _shouldn't_ go to Coruscant?"

She looked exasperated. "I'm not telling you to do _anything_. They'll need lots of help with refugees in the undercity, plenty of other planets will need Jedi assistance, Luke, Mara, Kam, and Tionne will need help establishing a new school… you have plenty of options. What I'm saying is that Coruscant is where I'll be with Jag and Leyla for the foreseeable future and, should you happen to find yourself there as well, we'd be… pleased to see you."

For a long time, Kyp stared curiously at Jaina. Flushing, out of embarrassment or discomfort, she looked down. Forgetting himself for a moment, feeling like they were back nearly three years in the past when she was his apprentice, Kyp reached out and lifted her chin.

The twenty-year-old had matured incredibly since then, forced by all manner of difficult circumstances. For a fleeting moment though, she looked like the wide-eyed daughter of his friend, with a room full of taken-apart machinery, unsullied by war, death, the dark side…

The spell broke; Kyp jerked his hand away as if burned.

"I'll go with Master Skywalker," he murmured softly. "He and Mara have been supportive of me beyond imagining; I owe them some assistance." Her face fell almost unnoticeably. "Besides," his lips quirked, "I should probably learn something about kids now, huh?"

Her eyes brightened and Jaina smiled broadly. "Leyla turns two in a few months," she said. "Maybe you can take a vacation from academy-duty and be there for it."

"I wouldn't miss it for the galaxy."

Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

_Thirteen Weeks Later_

It was a small gathering, mostly of family. Han, Leia, and Jacen set aside their various duties for the evening to spend time with their daughter, son-in-law, and- most importantly- the birthday girl. Leyla was bouncing around the apartment, reacquainting with the Antilles, whom she had not seen since Zonama Sekot. Wedge was talking with Han and his nephew, Jag, while Iella sat with an exhausted Jaina and Leia.

For her part, Jaina was enjoying a bit of respite from chasing after the energetic two year old, who was being entertained by the young daughters of Wedge and Iella. It also gave her time to worry a little bit.

Kyp was not there.

She was restraining herself from attempting to track him down. He had told her, right before his farewell with a teary-eyed Leyla, that he intended to spend his time in the next few months figuring some things out, and she'd promised to give him his space to do so. He had not completely shut himself off… he often tacked a greeting on to messages from Luke or Mara, and would record a message just for Leyla, who always smiled happily- and asked with he was coming to see her.

Jaina and Jag always told her that he'd be there for her birthday. Leyla in turn would ask how far away that was, and seemed reluctantly contented when they answered.

So far, Leyla had not inquired after him, but Jaina feared that, when they sat down to dinner or cake, the realization that he wasn't there would set in more firmly. She didn't think she could stall much longer though.

"Are you alright, Jaina?"

She started, realizing what a poor a hostess she was being. Leia gave her a half-encouraging, half-worried smile.

"Sorry," she said to Iella. "Just trying to decide if we should get started."

"Waiting on anyone? Are Luke and Mara coming with Ben?"

Leia answered for her. "No, they couldn't get away from Ossus, but… Kyp was supposed to be bringing their holo-greetings and whatnot and he isn't here yet."

Ten minutes later, mentally bracing herself, Jaina announced that they'd sit down for dinner… and Leyla happily ran into her arms and allowed herself to be plopped into her high chair. Giving a bemused look towards Jag, Jaina shrugged slightly and got things underway.

Four hours later, a remarkably cake-covered Leyla was yawning and drifting asleep in Han's lap. The Antilles had just departed. "I think it's about bed time for this little one," he commented wryly to Jag.

Leyla muttered and blinked blearily. "Gotta stay up," she said softly, yawning.

"Why, sweetie?" Jag asked, moving to take her from Han.

"Have to wait for Kyp."

Jaina frowned and sighed, exchanging looks with Jag and Jacen. Before anyone could reply, however, Leyla was breathing deeply. Han kissed her softly on the forehead and gave her to Jag who settled her down on the couch next to Jaina while they bid the Solos farewell. Once they were gone, Jag and Jaina prepared for bed. Despite Leyla's good spirits, Jaina was dejected.

Kyp had promised his daughter he'd see her. And he hadn't even sent word that he couldn't make it, there had been no message from Ossus.

Maybe she'd been wrong about Kyp.

"Mommy!" she rolled over groggily. "Daddy!" She felt Jag pull away and she snuggled further down in the blankets in the absence of his warm presence.

"I'm on it," Jag said sleepily. "Go back to sleep."

So she did.

Sometime later, she awoke and checked her chrono. It was early; too early for her, but Leyla would likely be stirring soon, and she thought it best to let Jag get a little more sleep. Ducking out from under his arm, he mumbled and turned over as she drew on her robe. Smiling softly, she leaned over and kissed his brow before quietly departing the room and pulling the door shut behind her. After a quick stop in the refresher, she stuck her head in Leyla's room to make sure she was still asleep...

And her heart skipped a beat- she wasn't in her crib.

A million scenarios ran through her head in the two seconds it took her to verify that nothing felt wrong in the Force. Before she could do anything though, the sound of a soft giggle carried through the open door.

Maybe Leyla had found some way to extract herself from the crib finally, Jaina thought. Perhaps Jag had let her sleep in the living room after she'd woken him a few hours prior and she'd found some toy to play with while waiting for one of her parents to wake up and entertain her.

Before she reached the living room, another giggle burst from her daughter and this time, a hushed but deep voice followed.

"Shh! If you wake up your parents, then _I'm_ going to get in trouble!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Yes I will! Remember what your dad told you? He said you could stay out here with me but _only _if you promised to get some more sleep."

"I sleep!"

He laughed. "You slept for half an hour and then woke _me_ up when you started tickling me!"

Jaina stood in the doorway separating the hallway with the living room, a silly grin plastered on her face. Kyp was lying on the couch, his cloak and boots tucked in the corner by the door. Leyla was sitting cross-legged on his stomach with her arms folded before her in mock severity.

"Tell me!"

He laughed, but Jaina thought it sounded a little wearied. "Fine, fine… but then you _have_ to go back to sleep, okay?" She nodded, her eyes widening. "Well… your great-uncle Luke sent me on a mission on my way here, you see- to a nice planet called 'Obroa-Skai.' Have you ever heard of it?"

"No."

"Okay then. Well I got to Obroa-Skai and talked to some very nice people, but then they didn't want me to leave- can you believe that?"

She frowned in consternation. "Don't want you go."

He stroked her soft curls. "Don't worry," he said softly, "I'm not leaving you. But I needed to leave Obroa-Skai to come see you, but I guess they didn't think that it was too important that I make it on time for your birthday!"

"Why?"

He sighed. "I guess they just _really_ liked me," he muttered wryly.

"I like you, Kyp." Leyla yawned widely.

"Thanks, sweetie. I like you too. Anyway, it took me a _long_ time to convince the _nice_ people on Obroa-Skai that I really did have to leave, and that's why I got here so late. It was good of you to tell your daddy to come let me in."

"I felt." She tapped her head, and he grinned.

"I thought you might. Did you feel me trying to tell you not to worry, that I was on my way?" She nodded gravely. "You're a good girl, Leyla," he whispered. "Anymore questions?"

She yawned again. "Sleep here?"

"If you promise to sleep." She slid her small self down onto the couch and nuzzled up against his side, nestled in the crook of his arm. Kyp turned to his side to give her more room, and his eyes darted to the hallway and Jaina realized that he knew she was there.

She stepped slowly into the living room. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late."

As she got closer, she could see in the dim light how wearied he looked. There were dark circles under his eyes and she could sense his exhaustion rolling off of him in waves. Despite that though… he seemed content. "What happened?" she asked quietly, trying not to wake Leyla, who was already asleep once more.

He shook his head and looked pointedly down at Leyla. "Another time."

"It's good to see you," she smiled sincerely.

"You too."

"Do you want me to move her?"

He looked fondly down at the dark-haired girl snoring softly against his side. "Nah. I told her she could stay."

"Alright. Feel free to put her back in her crib if she won't stay asleep," Jaina said wryly. "Speaking of which, if the two of you are sleeping- and you look like you need it- then _I'm_ definitely going back to bed."

He nodded and yawned much as Leyla had. "We'll talk in a few hours."

She smiled and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead and another to Kyp's cheek. "Sleep well."

And she went back to her bedroom after shooting one last glance at the pair curled up on the couch, Kyp's arm protectively around Leyla and her small hand fisted in his shirt. There was a peaceful contentedness in the air, and as Jaina slid back against Jag's dozing form, she knew everything would work out in the end.

Somehow, it always did.

**Fin**

**A/N: **Thanks for reading… I'd love to hear your thoughts! :-)

And keep your eyes peeled for Part 3 in a couple of weeks, called _Against All Odds_, set another five years after this one!

Cheers!

*~Lexi~*


	12. Cover image info

**Story Cover designed by Iverna on the Jedi Council Forums; images property of Lucasfilms, LTD and pulled from Wookieepedia .**


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